Dave in Suomi

Where do UK PhDs end up?

2010-08-01T09:56:00.002+03:00

Nikolai Dotzek (1966–2010)

2010-06-02T14:11:00.002+03:00

The atmospheric science community lost a dear friend and colleague this past weekend. Nikolai Dotzek was a research scientist at DLR's Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre, but he was also the Director of the European Severe Storms Laboratory, founder of the European Severe Weather Database, and organizer of the 5th European Conference on Severe Storms, as well as numerous other activities.

During a visit to Munich several years ago, Nikolai and his family opened their home to me for dinner. It was very kind of him, but it was something that he did for many of us severe-weather scientists who passed through town. He was a generous man.

I was amazed at how many things Nikolai did. He had boundless energy and enthusiasm, was a positive and endearing person, and was one of the most friendly scientists I knew. His demeanor made you want to join his vision for a European-wide research and forecasting effort for severe storms. It was a big vision, but I believed that he could do it. Nikolai dreamed big.

I will miss my friend very much.

Q: How do you know it's really wet?

2010-04-22T12:54:00.001+03:00

A: When you find an earthworm clinging to your second-floor window.

True story. (How did he get there???)

Happy Pancake Day!

2010-02-16T21:49:00.002+02:00

The UK celebrates Pancake Day today. See Wikipedia for more on this tasty and fluffy holiday.

New Homer Simpson socks

2010-01-07T12:51:00.002+02:00

I love Pound World. You never know what kind of cool stuff you will find there. Like this set of Home Simpson socks...for 1 pound! Sometimes I feel like wearing these socks when I am reviewing a particularly bad manuscript.

2010-01-05T22:17:00.004+02:00

Snow in York

2010-01-05T22:12:00.002+02:00

We woke up this morning to another 3-4 inches (7-10 cm) on the ground this morning, just when all the fresh snow from last week had started melting and refreezing.

Eloquent Science is now published!

2009-11-26T12:13:00.002+02:00

Eloquent Science: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Better Writer, Speaker, and Atmospheric Scientist has now been published and is available for ordering from the American Meteorological Society.

Book Web site, including excerpts, blog, and other resources: http://www.eloquentscience.com

Ordering information from the AMS

Music technology and change

2009-09-23T15:28:00.002+03:00

I loaded a CD into the tray of our DVD player to listen the other day. It occurred to me what a thrill that was.

For the last few months, if I was listening to music, it was either streaming over the internet or on iTunes. I push a button and the music plays. How sterile.

When I go back to my house in Oklahoma, I have a complete stereo system including turntable. There is something special about taking a piece of vinyl out of cardboard and paper sleeves, laying it on the turntable, and dropping the needle on it. The cracks and the hiss of the needle on the record was a sign that you were really listening to that item and its flaws. You are participating in the music delivery process.

I used to think CDs lacked that same thrill. Now with my abundant digital collection, the thrill formerly reserved only for the LP has emerged with the CD.

The Happiest Dog in the World

2009-03-30T12:12:00.002+03:00

New Addition to the Family

2009-03-28T12:28:00.004+02:00

Meet Tesla, our new 8-week-old Bichon Frise.

Book is done!

2009-03-26T18:48:00.002+02:00

Yes, the book is finally done. The American Meteorological Society has the final draft of "Eloquent Science: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Better Writer, Speaker, and Scientist." The book will now head to copyediting and layout planning. The plan is to have it published by fall 2009. You will know more as I know more.

I hope to post snippets and the Table of Contents here soon.

If Dave and Yvette were Simpsons characters

2009-02-22T13:27:00.001+02:00

The link to create these is here.

Dave and Yvette in the Grand Canyon (January 2009)

2009-02-12T09:58:00.002+02:00

Dave and Yvette's rental house in York, UK

2009-02-12T09:55:00.002+02:00

This house is along the Ouse River (pronounced "ooze"). It has a jacuzzi hot tub in the back and a river view.

Dave and Yvette visit York, UK

2009-02-12T09:53:00.002+02:00

Clifford's Tower

Ice sculpture in Helsinki Zoo

2009-02-12T09:51:00.002+02:00

Art Meets Ice--the annual ice sculpture contest at the zoo---happened a few weekends ago.

Welcome President Obama!

2009-01-28T08:40:00.002+02:00

SNOW!!!

2008-11-21T16:53:00.003+02:00

Yesterday, Helsinki got its first dusting of snow.

Sunday will be a blizzard.

The image below is from the HIRLAM model run at FMI verifying early afternoon on Sunday. Blue is snow, and the lines are sea-level pressure contours. The closer the packing of the lines, the stronger the winds.

Yippie!

The Most Unlikely President

2008-11-06T17:46:00.002+02:00

I found this short piece by Ezra Klein in The American Prospect to be so eloquently written, I wanted to share it with a wider audience.

Electoral-Vote.com

2008-10-31T17:09:00.003+02:00

There's a great web site that shows the most recent polls across the United States: www.electoral-vote.com.

One interesting aspect of this is that it shows that Oklahoma (my former home state before moving to Helsinki) is the state with the second least support for Obama: 34%. The only state lower? Utah with 32%.

(All values were from today.)

Great Compliment

2008-10-31T17:03:00.003+02:00

Teaching started for me at the University of Helsinki. I am teaching two courses: Applications of Numerical Weather Prediction and Communication Skills for Scientists.

In the Applications course, as we were going around the class having the students introduce themselves, one student who had been in one of my classes before told me one of the reasons that he was in my class:

"You helped me find the joy of studying again."

What a great compliment! Thank you.

Obama would be a better Bond; McCain would make a better Judi Dench

2008-10-23T16:04:00.003+03:00

From Parade Magazine:

I finally ask this British actor a deeply American question: “Who do you think would be the better James Bond—Barack Obama or John McCain?”

Craig doesn’t hesitate. “Obama would be the better Bond because—if he’s true to his word—he’d be willing to quite literally look the enemy in the eye and go toe-to-toe with them. McCain, because of his long service and experience, would probably be a better M,” he adds, mentioning Bond’s boss, played by Dame Judi Dench. “There is, come to think of it, a kind of Judi Dench quality to McCain.”

(Photo from www.sybarites.org)

I get to pick my own breakfast!

2008-10-21T19:18:00.003+03:00

Conservatives in the USA are wondering if the public will ever be interested in the size of government again as a political rallying cry. After the biggest increase in the amount of government spending during a supposed conservative administration, I can imagine that these hard-core conservatives are pretty blue right now. This article in the conservative Washington Times lays out the discussion.

The article quotes David Frum, a former Bush speechwriter:
"America is a highly non-ideological country. And while there are some who care about government as a percentage of [the total economy], most Americans don't care very much. If it gets to the European model and they tell you what to eat for breakfast, then they care," Mr. Frum said. "But there's a lot of leeway until Americans' libertarian instincts kick in."

For the record, no one has once told me what to eat for breakfast.

(Image from recipes.howstuffworks.com)

The Struggles of a Songwriter

2008-10-20T21:48:00.003+03:00

Still high from the Leonard Cohen concert ten days ago, I read this interview with him about his songwriting. I had heard that he struggled with perfectionism in songwriting, sometimes taking years to fully birth a song, but this interview really captures how it is for him.

One of his songs is called "Tower of Song," describing his experiences in songwriting.

Q: Writing in that way could be either more freeing or more restrictive. You have a rhythm that is set but you are free from playing the guitar.

LC: Well, freedom and restriction are just luxurious terms to one who is locked in a dungeon in the tower of song. These are just... ideas. I don’t have the sense of restriction or freedom. I just have the sense of work. I have the sense of hard labor.

Q: Is this hard labor ever enjoyable for you?

LC: It has a certain nourishment. The mental physique is muscular. That gives you a certain stride as you walk along the dismal landscape of your inner thoughts. You have a certain kind of tone to your activity. But most of the time it doesn’t help. It’s just hard work.

Things related to the economy, and statistics

2008-10-20T21:36:00.005+03:00

The New York Times has this article about the things that are believed to be correlated to economic trends. Surely some statistician must be having a field day with this.

Wait. There is one. William M. Briggs, one of the associate editors at Monthly Weather Review offers his opinions on all things statistical.

Dr. Briggs has a book coming out soon called: Breaking the Law of Averages: Real-Life Probability & Statistics in Plain English.

He also performed an analysis of countries and who the best country was in the Olympics this summer? His conclusion: The Bahamas and Jamaica, who won the most medals per capita.

more mammatus in contrails (over London)

2008-10-20T19:13:00.000+03:00

Seen on the side of a house in London

2008-10-20T19:12:00.002+03:00

London Bridge and the London Tower from the air

2008-10-20T19:10:00.001+03:00

Corn chips in chocolate?

2008-10-19T17:14:00.002+03:00

Meet Smash! These snacks, which you can find in the candy shops around Helsinki, are corn cones covered in chocolate. Americans may recognize Bugles salty corn chips? That's what these are. Covered in chocolate.

They're like little chocolate-covered tornadoes.

Leonard Cohen: 10 October 2008: Helsinki

2008-10-19T16:44:00.003+03:00

It's been 15 years since his last tour. One of the best concerts I have ever seen happened in the Hartwall Arena to 11,000 Cohen fans. Incredible pictures and the set list are posted here and here.

Here is the set list from that page:

First set
1. Dance me to the end of love
2. The Future
3. Ain't no cure for love
4. Bird on the wire
5. Everybody knows
6. In my secret life
7. Who by fire
8. Waiting for the miracle
9. Heart with no Companion
10. Hey, that's no way to say good bye
11. Anthem

Second set
12. Tower of song
13. Suzanne
14. Gypsy wife
15. The Partisan
16. Boogie Street
17. Hallelujah
18. Democracy
19. I'm your man
20. Take this waltz

Encores
21. So long, Marianne
22. First we take Manhattan
23. Famous blue raincoat
24. If it be your will
25. Closing time
26. I tried to leave you
27. Whither thou goest

It was the same day that the former Finnish prime minister Martti Ahtisaari was announced to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, and Cohen was incredibly humble in his statement: "I have dedicated this concert to Martti Ahtisaari and anyone else who looks at this vale of tears and decides to lend a helping hand. We are very grateful to him."

If you ever want to see a 73-year old with incredible passion, intimacy, and lyrical abilities, you will not want to miss seeing this man. A very special birthday present from my loving wife.

(Image by Eija, posted at the leonardcohenforum.com)

Wonderful Opus comic

2008-10-19T16:39:00.003+03:00

The comic strip Opus by Berkeley Breathed will be retired in a few weeks. The "increasingly nasty political climate has made it too difficult to keep his strip from drifting into darkness."

Too bad. Here's a classic that was never even distributed by the Washington Post Writer's Group.

Worst hotel in London for the price?

2008-10-19T16:25:00.002+03:00

How about this for a hotel review?

Never stay at the Rydges Kensington Plaza, near the Gloucester Road Underground Station and Imperial College.

I'll make a very long story short. I had a reservation made by the Royal Meteorological Society for one night, but I wanted to extend that by two more days to visit London with Yvette. Before arriving, I called the hotel and gave them my credit card information to extend my reservation for two days beyond the initial reservation. I was told that this was done.

When we arrived, the hotel had no idea that we were arriving. Apparently, the person who took the reservation never registered it in the computer or it was not registered appropriately. During two of the next three mornings, cleaning staff arrived at our room at 8:30 in the morning to begin cleaning, even though the checkout time was 11 a.m. Calls and visits to the front desk did little to alleviate the problem---apparently, the hotel never got the idea that we were registered guests in the hotel for those three straight nights.

The final straw was when we were checking out, they charged the RMS for two nights, even after I explained to them that you were only to be billed for one night, as per the written reservation below. So, if you see on your credit card statement that you were billed, then credited back, please forgive me. We did the best we could under the circumstances.

It's a shame because the hotel is reasonably well kept, albeit the rooms we were in was a bit crowded for two people, let alone two people with even small luggage. (Although to be fair, the traveler photos on tripadvisor.com appear to show some spacious rooms.)

The hotel is ranked 630 of 1095 hotels in London, so in the bottom half. Given the cluelessness of the staff, their terrible service when presented with the problem, I would say that this is a generous rating.

Going down to Londontown

2008-10-13T16:03:00.002+03:00

Yvette and I will be taking a vacation in conjunction with my invited talk at the Small-Scale Weather Extremes conference hosted by the Royal Meteorological Society.

My talk is on lake-effect snow, and I am grateful to have been invited by Tim Hewson, and have been supplied supporting documentation by Jim Steenburgh, Neil Laird, and Tom Niziol. Jim Ladue and Dave Kristovich provided some really nifty photos.

(Photo of lake-effect snow and lightning by Jim Ladue)

Absentee balloting

2008-10-10T10:23:00.002+03:00

How to vote in the US elections from overseas. Quite easy and fast!

1) Fax absentee ballot request to Cleveland County Election Board on Sept. 30.
2) Receive first campaign literature sent to Finnish address on Oct. 7.
3) Receive absentee ballot in mail on Oct. 9.
4) Mail completed ballot on Oct. 10.

Music in Helsinki

2008-10-09T13:49:00.004+03:00

The next few months are an amazing time for Helsinki music fans.

Tomorrow: Leonard Cohen
November 14: Randy Newman
December 1: Elton John

Others coming up: Dianne Reeves, Leningrad Cowboys, Moody Blues, Count Basie Orchestra, Jerry Lee Lewis, Todd Rundgren, Gloria Gaynor, Supergrass, and Dionne Warwick.

(Image from leonardcohenfiles.com)

Autumn is falling...

2008-10-09T13:47:00.002+03:00

The trees are a beautiful yellow and orange in Helsinki. The skies have been mostly clear the last few days, allowing the temperature in the suburbs to approach freezing overnight. And, the days are getting shorter, with the sun rising at 7:46 and setting at 6:28.

Finns Would Vote for Obama if They Could

2008-10-09T13:45:00.001+03:00

From the YLE web site:

If Finns could decide the next President of the United States, the job would go to Senator Barack Obama, according to a new poll. Rival Senator John McCain would only win 13 percent of the vote. According to the survey commissioned by Reader's Digest and conducted by the Gallup Organisation, Obama would run away with 71 percent of Finns' votes.

(Image by AP)

Sad goodbye

2008-09-21T11:13:00.006+03:00

At FMI this past Friday, they mourned the decommissioning of their VAX computer system. After 21 years of faithful service, faster systems replaced the old VAX. Memories were shared, champagne was served, and a few tears were shed.

A VAX was one of my first mainframe computers at the Earth Resources Laboratory at M.I.T., at the University of Washington, and at SUNY Albany. I remember learning UNIX, which I thought was less intuitive at first relative to the operating system of the VAX. I made a translation table so that I could remember to translate VAX commands into UNIX.

(Image by unessani.ajatukseni.net)

Happy Birthday to the Finnish Blues Society!

2008-09-21T11:00:00.004+03:00

This past Friday was the 40th birthday of the Finnish Blues Society. They put on a great show. The music was a who's who of Finnish Blues legends. All different styles. My personal favorite was Knucklebone Oscar, who looked like a thin Jack Black from the movie School of Rock. Knucklebone rocked out like Jack, as well. Truly crazy man. I am sure a full show by this madman would be quite the experience.

Three environments that do not go together

2008-09-21T10:57:00.002+03:00

On recent flights on Finnair, I see them advertise the following cream. Marine Biology, Prairie, and Switzerland do not go together, in my opinion. Can anyone explain this to me?

Dave in another part of Suomi, and Italy

2008-08-29T10:41:00.004+03:00

Now that the book has been submitted, Dave and Yvette will be taking a well-earned vacation. We will be in Lapland, northern Finland, and Venice, Italy, for the next week and a half. No e-mails, no blogging. Just relaxation.

(Image from www.iho-ohi.org)

My Book

2008-08-29T10:25:00.003+03:00

I am proud to announce that the first draft of my book has now been submitted to the publisher. The book is called Eloquent Science: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Better Writer, Speaker, and Scientist and will be published by the American Meteorological Society in mid to late 2009.

(Image from everyonewhosanyone.com)

Flowers on Suomenlinna

2008-08-25T14:06:00.004+03:00

Helsinki Festival Celebrates 40 Years

2008-08-25T14:06:00.002+03:00

Richard Thompson at Helsinki Festival: Aug 18, 2008

2008-08-25T14:04:00.000+03:00

We Love Arnold's Donuts!

2008-08-25T14:01:00.002+03:00

Bruce Springsteen leaves Helsinki Hotel the day after the show

2008-08-25T14:00:00.001+03:00

(Photo by Yvette Hancock)

Bruce in Helsinki

2008-08-25T13:57:00.002+03:00

Pictures of me, Yvette, Robert Marc, and Trina.

The American flag and the Finnish flag at the Olympic Stadium. 40,000 fans singing "Born in the USA."

European Radar Conference: My friends at Ravintola Savu

2008-08-25T13:54:00.001+03:00

Long time

2008-08-25T13:45:00.003+03:00

OK, several people have asked why I haven't posted in a while. As happens, things got real busy the last few months. Here's a sampling of what happened since my last post.

* European Radar Conference in Helsinki: lots of friends from Oklahoma and the U.S. visited. Good to see them, and host them in my new hometown.

* July 11: Bruce Springsteen rocks Helsinki for three hours and 31 songs, including Born in the USA, Dancing in the Dark, 10th Ave Freezeout, Rosalita, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

* Robert Marc and Trina Friedman from Oslo visit for the Bruce show. It was great meeting new friends.

* Li and Kaijun leave Helsinki for Minnesota.

* Great new movies (Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E) and great old movies (Ed Wood, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Cars, Big Fish)

* Rowing with the Vaisala team started up again.

* Aug. 18: Richard Thompson concert, along with friends, Gil and Merja.

* Aug. 22: Helsinki Festival, 40th Anniversary free concert in Senate Square: Finnish artists perform the songs of 1968. What a hoot! Helsinki really knows how to throw free parties!

American BBQ spice found in Finnish grocery store

2008-06-17T08:22:00.001+03:00

Approaching the summer solstice

2008-06-15T22:24:00.003+03:00

From the Finnish Meteorological Institute Web page today:

Sun rises 3:54 and sets 22:47. Length of day is 18 h 53 min.

Photo from stardate.org

Tall Ship in Helsinki

2008-06-15T21:25:00.002+03:00

The Swedish Ship Götheborg was in Helsinki this week. It was moored at Suomenlinna on Saturday, and that is when Yvette and I went to see her.

nice boat

2008-06-15T21:22:00.002+03:00

We saw this yacht this weekend in Helsinki.

From the Helsingin Sanomat:

Luxury private yacht draws onlookers to Katajanokka

The Pelorus is apparently now the property of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's ex-wife

Yep, it is BIG!

The luxury yacht Pelorus, moored at the Katajanokka Quay, is all of 115 metres from bow to stern.

It has a helicopter pad - or maybe two of them - on the deck, and one of those antennae or domes astride the funnel is probably something to do with the vessel's alleged onboard anti-missile defence system. There's also supposed to be a cinema on board, a disco, and even a mini-submarine.

The yacht, which tied up in Helsinki on Wednesday, has rapidly become an unofficial local sight.

Dozens of curious onlookers are standing on the quay, possibly hoping to get a glimpse of the vessel's owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
There's probably little chance of that.
In July of last year, the Daily Express reported that Abramovich, whose enormous wealth came from the Russian oil business, was parting company with his second wife Irina.

The breakdown of their 15-year marriage was described at the time as the world's most expensive divorce. According to the newspaper, the tycoon's former spouse received not only a tidy sum of money, country estates, and other properties, but also the keys to the 5,317 GT Pelorus.

Back from Boston

2008-06-15T21:17:00.003+03:00

A few weeks ago, Yvette and I went to Boston where I had a meeting. We did the Freedom Trail, including the Bunker Hill monument. Here is Yvette in front of John Hancock's grave, where she just might be a cousin of one of our founding fathers.

Sex and the City Movie

2008-06-15T21:05:00.003+03:00

While waiting for another movie at the Kinopalatsi theatre, Yvette and I noticed that the Sex and the City movie let out. The theatre has 461 seats, and people just kept streaming out. We figured out of about 300 people that came out, about 20 were men, all except one was in tow of a woman's arm.

What's Up?

2008-06-06T12:21:00.003+03:00

I know it's been over a month since I have posted, and I apologize. Lots has been happening, so I'll give an update in bullet form.

New web page at the University of Helsinki created. New publications since coming to Helsinki have been included on the CV page.
Been to the southernmost inhabited island in Finland, featuring the tallest lighthouse in the Nordic countries (built in 1906).
Went with Gil and Merja to a baroque french horn concert at the Sibelius Academy, and discovered the wonderful Italian restaurant Benjam's Bistro.
Been to Boston for the American Meteorological Society Publications Commission Meeting. Took Yvette with me, who relished the fact that her ancestors may be related to John Hancock. Did the Freedom Trail with her, got to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument: 294 steps.
Am invited to the American Embassy for an Independence Day celebration.
Am still working on my book, to be published by the American Meteorological Society. Still no title for it, even though it is 70% written.
Discovered two great restaurants in Helsinki: Azoros, and Savu.

Spring in Helsinki

2008-04-28T09:51:00.003+03:00

Another week of sunny days and warmer temperatures. The forecast continues to be nice for the next few days. I noticed that the leaves are starting to come out on some of the trees. Yet, you can still see people walking around Helsinki during days as warm as 15-20 C (in the 60s F) wearing gloves and scarves. You would think they would start to enjoy the warm weather and take off their winter clothes.

Do you want fries with that?

2008-04-15T12:18:00.002+03:00

Celebrate the International Year of the Potato!

Image from in-the-stream.blogspot.com

Spring arrives in Helsinki

2008-04-14T18:39:00.004+03:00

The last few weeks have been pretty amazing for Helsinki in the spring. There has been ots of sun and warm temperatures (5-10 deg C). I almost don't miss the fact that we had so little snow this winter. On top of it all, the sun is shining from 6 in the morning until 8:30 at night. Longer days are yet to come!

Great Music Week

2008-04-14T18:39:00.001+03:00

A few weeks ago, it was a great week of music in Helsinki. First was Doug MacLeod, a great blues player from the US. Hosted by Pertti Nurmi at FMI, the show was intimate and exceptional. If you get a chance, don't miss this show.

Second was Tommy Emannuel, another great guitar player, but from Australia originally (now living in Nashville). The guy does stuff with a guitar that will amaze you. Check out his performances on You Tube.

Third was Rufus Wainwright. The show was sold out, so we didn't get to go. :-(

Coming up in Helsinki:

July 11: Bruce Springsteen
December 1: Elton John on the Red Piano tour

Wall Street Journal article: "What makes Finnish kids so smart?"

2008-04-07T12:36:00.001+03:00

This article here.

Cheese=Juusto

2008-03-30T14:51:00.003+03:00

Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. -- G. K. Chesterton

Long-time readers of this blog may remember my interest in cheese. We have finally discovered a place where we can get good cheddar cheese: one of the cheese shops in the Hakaniemi market.

More interesting is what happens in the grocery stores. In Finland, if you can find "cheddar" labeled on the shelves, it is usually the orange processed cheese in individually wrapped slices. (We call that American cheese in the USA.) Restaurants also advertise their cheddar cheese on hamburgers, but it is really just this American cheese. In American grocery stores, different colors, sharpnesses, and brands of cheddar are plentiful.

On the other hand, what is called "mozzarella" in American stores is usually found in bags of grated cheese, ready for spreading on pizzas. This cheese is called pizza cheese in Finland. What is labeled as mozzarella is a fine, soft, bright white cheese in rounded blobs, individually wrapped. Even frozen pizzas with mozzarella have slices of that higher-quality cheese on them.

And, the generic label "swiss" cheese in the USA is labeled "emmental" (a specific style of swiss cheese) in Finland.

Finns eat 18.6 kg of cheese per person a year, which is higher than the European average, perhaps because Finnish milk is said to be among the cleanest.

Best investment

2008-03-18T16:22:00.002+02:00

If you had taken $100 in March 2003 and bought euros, your investment would be worth almost $160 today.

Even if you had done this three months ago, your investment would have increased over 7% in worth.

Love vacations in Finland?

2008-03-17T08:50:00.001+02:00

Finnish Parliament debates proposal for "love vacations"

A proposal by MP Tommy Tabermann (SDP) to grant all employees a paid 7-day "love vacation" once a year led to an exceptionally colourful debate in Parliament on Thursday evening.
Mostly those MPs who had signed the proposal took part in the debate, but also others regarded the idea as recommendable.

According to Tabermann, the purpose of such vacations would be to prevent relations from disintegrating and the spouses from drifting apart.
During the seven days, couples could devote themselves to each other ”both at an erotic and emotional level” and ”find their way back to the path of love in order to find the wellspring of love again”.
Some MPs suspected that the proposal might discriminate against single persons, but others said that a love vacation would be the privilege of all, even the singles and the single parents.

A slight hint of suspicion could be heard in the speech from MP Erkki Pulliainen (Greens) speech, even though he was also broadly in favour of the suggested love vacation. He reminded his colleagues of the fact that the annual 4-week holiday is typically the most dangerous time for relationships.
The proposal was sent to the the Employment and Equality Committee for perusal, with an accompanying note from MP Esa Lahtela (SDP), hoping that one of the powerful trade unions would announce itself as an advocate of the proposal.
Tommy Tabermann is a Finnish poet and author who was elected to Finnish Parliament in 2007.
Prior to his candidacy and election, he was one of the captains on Uutisvuoto, the weekly Finnish version of the popular news panel show "Have I Got News For You".

From Helsingin Sanomat

Winter in Helsinki, Finally!

2008-03-05T16:43:00.003+02:00

Monday and Tuesday produced several inches of snow around Helsinki, and temperatures are predicted to remain at or below freezing through the end of the week. Thus, can we say we finally have winter in Helsinki?

Snow map from Finland as of 5 March 2008 from the Finnish Meteorological Institute

Current winter is warmest of all time in Finland

2008-02-29T14:25:00.002+02:00

"It is now official: in most parts of Finland, the ongoing winter has been the warmest ever measured since the beginning of regularly recorded readings.

According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the mean temperature from December through February was approximately 1°C higher than in the previous record mild winter of 1924-1925.

When comparing the present winter with the average of the period from 1971 to 2000, the temperatures were as much as 4 to 6.5 degrees higher, depending on the area."

The rest of the article from the Helsingin Sanomat is here.

Curling rocks!

2008-02-29T13:53:00.004+02:00

Each winter, the Division of Atmospheric Sciences takes a day off and goes on a winter recreation day. Leap Day was that day this year. With little snow around, skiing was not an option so people went curling and skating.

I was first introduced to curling when I worked as a forecaster for the National Weather Service at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. We had a TV on in the forecast office that was tuned to NBC so we could get live pictures of the weather at the venues. During downtime, the forecasters were fascinated with curling. About as exciting as bowling when viewed live, the broadcasters on TV made the sport really interesting (and the boring parts were edited out). Ever since, I wanted to try curling. That day was today.

Curling is like shuffleboard on ice. The goal is to get your stones inside the blue circle and closer to the bullseye than the other team. Four players on each team take turns throwing two stones a piece in each round. Games last ten rounds. Here you see Risto Makkonen releasing his stone, and the other team surveying the location of the stones on the other end of the ice to determine their strategy.

Hotel restaurants worth crowing about

2008-02-27T18:17:00.003+02:00

Usually, most restaurants in hotels are not worth getting excited about. Recently, Yvette and I have been impressed by two in Helsinki.

The Hotel Cumulus in Kaisaniemi has a restaurant Huviretki. The best deal is the "select your own steak dinner" menu. Guests get to pick the type of meat and cut, the sauce, and the side dishes.

Yesterday, Yvette and I tried Ristorante Papa Carlo in the Hotelli Fennon. We were one of just two or three tables being served, and the prices were outrageously low. 12-15 euro for the dinner. 28 euro three-course menu. The food was exceptional and the presentation was gorgeous. This will become one of our favorite restaurants in Helsinki.

Both restaurants have had availability, even during the busy weekend nights. Hyvää ruoka!

Warm fronts suck

2008-02-21T17:22:00.004+02:00

Yesterday morning we awoke to new snow. And it continued to fall throughout most of the day, accumulating several inches. Could this be some quasi-permanent snow cover for Helsinki? No. By the time the day was over, however, the temperature had risen to above freezing. See the rise in temperature at Helsinki yesterday.

Warm January

2008-02-19T15:33:00.003+02:00

Snowmen will protest around Helsinki next Tuesday. The reason? Their very survival in southern Finland.

We have had no permanent snowcover this winter. The lowest temperatures were about -10 deg C so far---a far cry from the -26 deg C I experienced several times last winter.

From the Helsingin Sanomat:

"In January, the mean temperature in Helsinki was 0.6°C, which is 4.8 degrees higher than the average for the period from 1971 to 2000.

According to the February forecast by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the weather will continue being clearly warmer than average. Long sub-zero periods will be unlikely, particularly in the southern parts of the country. The temperatures will be ranging from below 0°C to some degrees above zero.

On the winter holiday week, the Greater Helsinki area used to have so much snow that ski-track machines were able to make fairly good ski tracks. Today such machines are of no use, and lie idle.

The previous skiing holiday with plenty of snow was experienced in 2005, when a snow cover of 40 centimetres was measured at the Helsinki-Vantaa weather station. A year ago, the snow cover was just five centimetres thick."

The complete article from the Helsingin Sanomat can be found here.

Movin' out (David's Song)

2008-02-18T11:22:00.002+02:00

David works in the university
Savin' his pennies for someday
NSSL left a note on the door,
She said,
"David, move out of your office."
Workin' too hard can give you
A heart attackackackackackack
You oughta know by now

Who needs a house out in Norman?
Is that all you get for your money?
And it seems such a waste of time
If that's what it's all about
Mama, If that's movin' up then I'm movin' out.

In January, I returned to Norman to clean out my office at the National Weather Center. The resulting 60 or so boxes wound up here in my spare bedroom.

Christmas in Helsinki, British Style

2008-02-18T11:14:00.003+02:00

Exposing me to her family's customs, Yvette made me mince pies for Christmas. Here I am enjoying the final product.

in a convenience store in New Orleans

2008-02-18T11:13:00.002+02:00

As seen in the Atlanta airport...

2008-02-18T11:11:00.001+02:00

Reality check

2008-02-18T11:03:00.002+02:00

On a recent trip in the US, I was rushing to buy a roast beef sandwich in the Atlanta airport before getting on the plane back to Helsinki. The amount was $3.20. I quickly pulled out a $20 bill, but as I was reaching into my wallet for the twenty cents, the person in line in front of me threw down a quarter for me and said, "I won't be needing this where I am going." I was taken aback, and I looked over to see a soldier wearing a big backpack. I was so flustered, I didn't know what to say at first.

I replied, "Well, best of luck to you wherever you are going."

I walked off, stunned, almost leaving my $17 in change behind.

Although I might not agree with my country being wherever that young man was going, I appreciated his gesture and hope for his safety.

Quote from Martin Luther King

2008-02-04T14:28:00.000+02:00

On Martin Luther King Day (celebrated 21 January 2008), my colleague and friend John Knox sent the following King quote to me. More relevant now than ever before.

"When a culture begins to feel threatened by its own inadequacies, the majority of men tend to prop themselves up by artificial means, rather than dig down deep into their spiritual and cultural wellsprings. America seems to have reached this point... I think most Americans know in their hearts that their country has been terribly wrong in its dealings with other peoples around the world. When Rome began to disintegrate from within, it turned to a strengthening of the military establishment, rather than to a correction of the corruption within the society. We are doing the same thing in this country and the result will probably be the same..."

Scarves

2008-01-14T09:36:00.000+02:00

Scarves seem to be the Finnish fashion statement. Nearly everyone on the street has an open-collared jacket and a scarf around their neck. I don't really notice such a trend, even in the northern United States where I spent most of my life.

(Image by lindaclifford.com)

Interesting comment...

2008-01-10T15:18:00.000+02:00

This quote comes from a peer review of a manuscript that I helped coauthor. The lead author of the manuscript is Russian and most of the other coauthors are Finns. Among my contributions, I helped improve the readability of the paper by improving the English.

"Sometime, there is a less good English, please let the article read once more by a native English speaking person"

Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black. ;-)

Best Music of 2007

2008-01-02T12:34:00.001+02:00

With 2007 behind us (except for taxes), I follow up on a tradition I did for several years around the turn of the century, but haven't done for the last few years. The best music from 2007. I have to admit that I haven't bought much new music this year, so if I bought it, I am pretty confident that I would enjoy it.

1. Magic - Bruce Springsteen
A return to form with the E Street Band. My favorite tune on this album is "Livin' in the Future", with the classic E Street Band sound a la "Tenth Avenue Freezeout."

2. Sweet Warrior - Richard Thompson
Richard Thompson is one of the most critically acclaimed musicians you have never heard of. Favorites from the album: the mellow and thoughtful "Take Care the Road You Choose" and the lively "Mr. Stupid"

3. Beauty and Crime - Suzanne Vega
I enjoyed this album before, but even more after seeing her live. Highlights include "New York is a Woman" and "Pornographer's Dream," a sultry song not about what you think it is.

4. Taking the Long Way - Dixie Chicks
They are pissed and they aren't taking it anymore. "Lubbock or Leave It" (definitely not a love song to the Texas town) and "Not Ready to Make Nice."

Honorable Mentions:
Cimarron Manifesto - Jimmy Lafave
Wolfgang's Big Night Out - Brian Setzer Orchestra
X - Kylie Minogue

Two other albums came out that if I had heard them would likely be included on this list.
Pleasurado! - The Floating Men
Washington Square Serenade - Steve Earle

<Clever treble clef mug from www.centralcrafts.com>

Mystery Christmas Song

2008-01-02T11:11:00.000+02:00

Yvette and I enjoyed our Christmas. Separated from my volumes of Christmas music (still on tape, LP, 45, and CD in Oklahoma), we resorted to listening to web radio stations. This turned out to be quite a treat.

One song we heard was quite catchy...early rock from the 60s, sung by a young woman. The chorus was something about building a "snowman to take the place of you."

Web searches have turned up empty? Anybody have any information on this song?

What will Santa do when the North Pole melts?

2007-12-24T13:12:00.000+02:00

While searching online for something else, I came across this prescient song about the North Pole melting. It was written in 1988 by Captain Sea Level (from the Environmental Protection Agency). Here is the chorus.

When the North Pole Starts to Melt?
What is gonna happen to his little elves?
Will they be too busy swimming to make the toys?
And what will Santa do?
If the North Pole melts too fast
Is this Christmas gonna be his last?
What will parents have to tell their girls and boys?

I-35: A Highway of Holiness

2007-12-21T09:05:00.000+02:00

A group of religious evangelicals is trying to name the highway that goes through Norman, Oklahoma, the Highway of Holiness.

Remember that the National Weather Center is just a few kilometers away from I-35! Blessed are they who attempt to forecast and understand the weather!

The book I am writing

2007-12-20T11:45:00.000+02:00

Some people know that I am writing a book on improving your scientific communication skills: writing journal articles, giving conference presentations (oral and poster), and writing reviews. The progress has sputtered from time to time with activity. This holiday season I hope to really make progress. Just this week, I finished at the 80% level, several key early chapters. Yesterday I made substantial progress on the chapter on references and citations. I hope that I can proudly announce the publication of this book in early 2009. Watch this space for details!

Declining Arctic Sea Ice

2007-12-20T11:40:00.000+02:00

Image from The Crysophere Today at the University of Illinois

Does it rain more on the weekends?

2007-12-20T09:19:00.000+02:00

When I first arrived in Norman, Oklahoma, for my postdoctoral fellowship in 1996, one of the first projects I started on my own was to see if it rained more on the weekend. In 1998, I published my preliminary results in the science humor journal, Annals of Improbable Research. (Link to that paper here.) Finishing up the formal publication of that paper took a lot more time and statistical prowess than I had. Eventually, the work was shelved in 2001.

Occasionally, I had received interest in this work. Maxim magazine even published a short interview with me on the topic for their Q&A section.

When I got to FMI, Ari Laaksonen and Doug Worsnop encouraged me to complete the research. Ari's graduate student Santtu was enlisted and off we went. We found no significant weekly cycles in precipitation at 222 stations across the United States, the most comprehensive assessment to date. Our work was published this month in Geophysical Research Letters.

Schultz, D. M., S. Mikkonen, A. Laaksonen, and M. B. Richman (2007), Weekly precipitation cycles? Lack of evidence from United States surface stations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L22815, doi:10.1029/2007GL031889.

FMI made a press release that was picked up by the Helsinki Sanomat. Nature magazine, which wouldn't publish the paper, was happy to cite the work on their news site.

A recent paper in press by Bell et al. at Geophysical Research Letters claims to have discovered a weekly cycle, only in the summer in the southeast US, and only since the 1980s.

Looks like the fat lady hasn't sung yet on this topic...

Sunset in Helsinki

2007-12-19T15:51:00.000+02:00

Just minutes ago, I snapped this photo from our apartment.And here's another one about ten minutes later...

Great photos

2007-12-10T10:38:00.000+02:00

Mary sent me this link to Pekka Parviainen, a Finnish photographer and his photos. Lots of night sky photos, atmospheric phenomena (mirages, noctilucent clouds), and other outdoor nature photos.

Finnish Independence Day

2007-12-10T09:39:00.000+02:00

Thursday December 6 was the 90th birthday of Finnish Independence. Yvette and I decided to celebrate by watching the Finnish movie "The Man Without a Past", which I received on my birthday from Jenni. It was a rainy day, so most of the outdoor activities like parades and candle-light vigils we missed out on. Even so, we couldn't find any information online about the times of these events, at least in English. That night, we went out to Savotta, a Finnish restaurant downtown and had a wonderful dinner. When we got back, we watched part of the presidential ball and saw Prof. Markku Kulmala on the TV.

US teens are 29th in science...Finland is number one

2007-12-07T17:47:00.000+02:00

From the US perspective: Christian Science Monitor article

From the Finnish perspective: Helsinki Sanomat article

The Boss in Helsinki

2007-12-05T11:25:00.000+02:00

Bruce Springsteen is coming to Helsinki's Olympic Stadium on July 11, and I've got tickets to see him!

Ravintola Nokka and water

2007-11-29T17:38:00.001+02:00

Last night Yvette and I went to Ravintola Nokka for dinner. This is a very nice restaurant with a great atmosphere (old red brick building near the waterfront on Katajanokka, near where I used to live). Although a bit expensive, the food was excellent. We will likely go there again.

I was annoyed, however, that asking for water resulted in the waiter cracking open a bottle of water and charging us 9.90 euro (almost US$15). I have noticed this at a few other restaurants in Europe.

Reorganization of the organizations

2007-11-29T17:30:00.001+02:00

My salary is paid for by three organizations, all of which are undergoing reorganization right now. Something must be in the air.

In particular, the one I know most about (which isn't saying much since nearly everything is written about or spoken in the Finnish language) is at FMI. Except for the Director General, the organization is being reconstructed from the top downward. Each position (whether new or old) is being re-competed for. This is quite an interesting approach, given many other organizations where bureaucratic inertia is a big part of government organizations.

A clear benefit of such an upheaval is that new people with new ideas get into leadership positions. A potential disadvantage of such an approach is that new people with new ideas get into leadership positions. ;-) An additional disadvantage is the loss of knowledge in how the system worked under the old administration.

The new organization will take effect starting 1 January 2008. It remains to be seen whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I remain optimistic that some important changes, especially in the way research and operations interact, will take place to make FMI a better organization.

Little bit of new snow...

2007-11-29T17:27:00.000+02:00

More about holidays

2007-11-28T11:29:00.000+02:00

An anonymous reader sent this link about days the Finnish flag is flown. Walking down the narrow street canyons of Helsinki with flags on nearly every building is quite the sight on these days.

P.S. This is my 200th post to this blog!

Finnish Holidays

2007-11-23T10:38:00.000+02:00

Colleague Bill Hooke asked me about what holidays we have in Finland that aren't celebrated in the US.

The list of Finnish National Public Holidays can be found here.

Most are religious holidays (Epiphany, the Easter holiday season, Ascension, All Saints, and Christmas and the day after, Boxing Day).

They also celebrate May Day on May 1, essentially the same as Labor Day in the US (the first Monday on September).

But, there are two that are uniquely Finnish.

Finnish Independence Day on December 6. This year, Finland will have been autonomous for 90 years from Russia (1917). Unlike the US where we celebrate July 4 as Independence Day with parties and fireworks, December 6 in Finland tends to be a somber event, a time to remember the war dead. The Unknown Solider, a Finnish movie about the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union, is shown on TV on this day, and people go to cemetaries with candles.

The other: Midsummer Eve and Midsummer Day: the Friday and Saturday closest to the solstice. This is the time to celebrate the sun being out, after the long winter. It is a time to go away to your summer cottage and is the unofficial start of the summer holiday season. (Remember that Finns take 4-6 weeks of vacation a year. Compare that to usually 2 weeks a year in the US.)

In the US, we have Martin Luther King Day in January, President's Day in mid February, honoring Lincoln and Washington, whose birthdays were both in that month, Memorial Day in late May, Independence Day in July, Labor Day in September, Columbus Day in October, Veteran's Day in early November, and Thanksgiving in late November. Christmas is an official holiday. Easter Sunday is not.

No turkeys in Finland

2007-11-23T10:08:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was the US holiday Thanksgiving. Wikipedia has more on the history of Thanksgiving, which is an interesting read, especially if you like discovering hidden history.

Thanksgiving is the last Thursday in November, and starts the Christmas shopping season. (Friday is usually crazy in the department stores and shopping malls.) In the US, we celebrate by spending time with our families, eating turkey with stuffing (or dressing, as they say in the southern US), mashed potatoes, cranberries (jellied, in the shape of the can it comes in, or berries, and pumpkin or pecan pie (a southern favorite). Thanksgiving dinner has always been one of my favorite meals. So much so, that I have been known to make a Thanksgiving dinner at weird times of the year, just so I can enjoy the food.

Unfortunately, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Finland. And, the last three years I have been in Finland on Thanksgiving: 2005 for my interview, 2006 and 2007 having moved here.

It gets worse. Finding a whole turkey ready for cooking in Helsinki has been quite the challenge. You can find turkey in the lunchmeat section of the grocery stores, and, occasionally find a turkey breast in the frozen or fresh meat section. We found a meat market in Hakaniemi that will place a special order for you, but when we ordered it last weekeend, they said the earliest they could get us the bird would be in early December. So, it looks like I will finally celebrate Thanksgiving in early December.

We have a can of cranberry sauce in the closet from when Stockmann's department and grocery store was having its fall sales period "New York state of mind", where they sold all kinds of stuff from the US. Potatoes are easy to come by in Finland, and we have made some very good stuffing in the past for roast chickens. So, we should be all set to go when Timo the Turkey arrives.

Anyway, my loving fiancee Yvette, recognizing that I missed out on my favorite meal of the year, took me out to a movie and then for Italian dinner at Don Corleone's in Kamppi. We both ordered the italian sausage, another specialty food that is next to impossible to find in Finland. So, although we didn't sacrifice a bird last night, we celebrated Thanksgiving in a unique way.

Image from http://plus.maths.org/

Mammatus in contrails

2007-11-21T15:45:00.001+02:00

I had heard of mammatus being formed in contrails, but the first definitive evidence I have seen of this phenomena I observed yesterday in Helsinki.

The solar constant isn't a constant

2007-11-15T16:20:00.000+02:00

In a seminar at the university today, the speaker presented this figure, a graph of the solar constant (the amount of solar radiation reaching the top of the atmosphere) as a function of time from different instruments in space designed to measure it. From the web page where this figure originates: "The TSI Climate Data Record spans almost 30 years. Instrument offsets are unresolved calibration differences." I find it interesting that we don't have an exact way to measure this quantity yet.

Even accounting for instrument offsets, the solar constant isn't a constant, as it varies with the solar sunspot cycle. Furthermore, Introduction to Atmospheric Science by Wallace and Hobbs (1977) lists the solar constant at 1380 Watts per square meter, which is much higher than any of these observations.