World Cup 2010 - Vuvuzelas for pan pipes anyone?

As the soccer World Cup invades our livingrooms I recently received an interesting theory from my brother.

Mathematic Calculations To Determine the 2010 World Cup Winner

Mathematicians have worked out a formula to determine

who will the 2010 World Cup.

In 1970 and 1994 the winner of the world cup was Brazil

And when you add 1970 and 1994 together you get 3964

In 1978 and 1986 Argentina won the world cup.

And when you add 1978 and 1986 together you get 3964

In 1990 and 1974 Germany won the world Cup

Again when you add 1990 and 1974 together you get 3964.......

So to work out the winner of the world cup,

you need to take 2010 away from 3964,

which leaves you with 1954......

And who was the winner in 1954: Germany!

So logically you should all put your money on Germany

to win the 2010 World Cup!

We shall have to wait and see if it comes true. From what I have seen of Germany so far, it may be a good bet. It's early days though!

I haven't got into this 2010 World Cup as much as I'd like to, especially as my home country Ireland didn't qualify. Neither did Finland, the country where I now live. I followed every match in Finland's World Cup campaign on television with the same passion I normally reserve for Ireland. It was a special treat to watch two of my favorite ex-Liverpool players Sami Hyypiä and Jari 'The King' Litmanen play together in the Finland jersey.

Unfortunately we will not see Ireland or Finland in South Africa, and I thought they both deserved to be there.

Nevermind, for the moment I have placed my hope in Chile, a team I'm not that familiar with. I do know they have a few skillful players and I would really like to see them do well.

As we have withnessed, there seems to more and more money issues entering the game of football these days. The latest news being the eviction of a group of female Dutch fans for wearing mini skirts. Apparently they had something to do with 'ambush marketing' for a beer company. As far as I know they were only wearing plain orange dresses, although I heard they wear designed by the beer company. Anyway, haven't the Dutch been wearing orange for many years now at World Cups, the girls were simply wearing the colours of their country.

I know soccer has had money interests and involvement for decades. It needs it just the same as any other professional sport, otherwise the sport just wouldn't be worth watching. And what sort of supporters would travel half way around the globe to watch a bunch of amateurs play?

I do feel however that the more and more of a role money has to play in this sport, the sooner we will see an implosion of what soccer is all about.

To me soccer is a great game. A game enjoyed by many nations around the world. A game that can make a star out of the poorest child who starts his talent kicking an old can around dirty streets. It's not a sport one needs to have wealth to go forward. Soccer is also a sport that can unite and uplift the spirit of an entire nation. As an Irish citizen living in Dublin during a remarkable spell for Irish international soccer, I witnessed how a country can be transformed by a few balls kicked in the back of the opposition's net. Between 1988 and 1994, Ireland had qualified for one European Championship Finals and two World Cups Finals. A remarkable feat for a small country. Such was the excitement of being on the world stage of soccer, the whole country was sent in to a state of massive euphoria.

O'Connell Street, Dublin City, Ireland

2.30pm, 12 June 1988

This is a painting I made back in 1988.

It depicts the scene on Dublin's busiest city street at kick-off time

during the Republic of Ireland and England match at the

1988 European Football Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

I made this drawing from a newspaper photograph later that week.

I was a little busy to paint 'plein air' at the time!

Just ask any Irishman what it was like in Ireland at this time and they will give you a long and detailed answer. I believe it was this happiness and positivity that set the wheels in motion to creating a better country and the hope of a better economy. Times were hard in Ireland in the eighties, politicians were more reckless than usual, but public spirits were high from 1988 onwards. Once the Irish football team were playing well, people had a reason to cheer and be optimistic.

This in a way is why I would like to see Chile get a few good results. The country suffered a lot earlier this year when a massive 8.8 earthquake occured there. I think one or two good results and maybe a few magical goals will unite it's people and give a little hope and encouragement to make things better again. So throw away those awful vuvuzelas and let's hear the pleasant sound of the Chilean pan pipes instead! (Surely these vuvuzelas should be banned after players from both the Netherlands and Denmark complained they could not hear each other over the deafening sound)

Incantation - Cacharpaya 1982

This is a great tune by a band that features an Irishman, a Scotsman, two Englishmen and three Chilean musicians. You may remember their music from the 1986 film 'The Mission' starring Robert De Niro.

Chile begin their World Cup 2010 campaign today,

so Go Chile!!

Thanks for reading my blog and feel free to subscribe or follow.

Plenty more to read.

Details can be found on the side column.

Thanks for reading my blog and please share it with all your friends.

-Alan

You are welcome to visit my art page on Facebook by clicking the 'Like' button here.

Please leave your reaction to this blogpost by ticking one of the boxes below. Thanks!

......

'Mount Errigal'

Mount Errigal

2009, acrylic on canvas (70cm x 50cm)

This is a painting I made in 2009. It features a well-known landmark in Ireland called Mount Errigal. It was painted on stretched-canvas using a mixture of 'Daler-Rowney System 3' and 'Winsor & Newton' acrylic paints. It's difficult to describe the style I painted it in. It's a style which I started back in 2005. I suppose the closest description I can relate to it is Neo-Pointillism.

This beautiful mountain is located near the small town of Gweedore, in a mainly Irish-speaking area of County Donegal. Of course most people can speak English there also.

I can speak and understand some Irish myself, but I still have a little trouble figuring out the Irish language spolen in the north-west of Ireland. This is so because of the three main Irish dialect areas in Ireland. Ulster in the North, Connaught in the West and Munster in the South. These are known as the Gaeltacht regions. I learned my piece of Irish in the West, or Connemara as it is better known. It sounds totally different! I didn't enjoy learning the Irish language, but in a way I'm glad I did. It was the teaching methods which I could dispute. I was thought by the Christian Brothers, who were thorough in their teachings to say the least.

My painting of Mount Errigal was a special commission for a woman in Scotland. Her parents were originally from this area of Ireland.

Here's a short video clip of how the painting was constructed. I painted it at my home in Finland from a photograph.

'Mount Errigal' was a picture I really enjoyed painting and I was totally satisfied with the result! It was hard to see the painting leave, but I know it's in caring hands now on a wall in Scotland.

This painting was recently voted

Favorite Landscape of 2009

on art website Fine Art America.

Click here for more details

Prints of the painting are available from here

I received this photo of my painting from it's owner, who had it nicely double-framed recently. It must be about one metre wide with 

this new frame. Excellent!

Share this blog!

Thanks for reading my blog and please feel free to share it with any of your friends.

You can receive my blogposts direct to your email or facebook profile by pressing the follow button at NetworkedBlogs  and you are welcome to visit my art page on Facebook by clicking the 'Like' button under my signature below.

- Alan