Asteroid !!!

Someone I know recently told me they don't bother reading newspapers or looking at tv news anymore because it's nothing but doom and gloom, and it's more likely to send you into a state of permanent depression. I've just been looking through some of today's news stories myself through various internet pages and I can completely understand. Terrorism, war, sickness, pollution, natural disasters, recession, job losses, animal cruelty, extreme poverty and the list goes on......

But today I noticed an article about something that could make all these troubles and problems go away!

Yes indeedy, all our worries can be put to bed forever.

Then I also noticed that the odds of this happening are quite long, depending on how you look at it.

Apparently a giant asteroid is set to come close to hitting earth later this year, or as they say, it will only just miss earth. The latter sounding like a better result for us. NASA have said that the asteroid will pass within 201,700 miles of our planet in November. They also say that we have nothing to be worried about. In fact a spokesman for NASA, Dave Yeomans said there is no chance of this asteroid called YU55 crashing into earth… for the time being. He said in a statement: “YU55 poses no threat of an Earth collision over, at the very least, the next 100 years.” Having said this, NASA go on to say that our moon is on average 238,855 miles away. This leaves a possible scope of around 37,000 miles between the asteroid and the moon. But I suppose there's no chance of it destroying our moon, or is there? I mean, 37,000 miles sounds like a huge distance to us humans, but in space terms it's just a fraction of a cat's whisker! An event such as this would obviously be devastating for the world as we know it. It may make the everyday problems we read about in the newspapers go away, but by then most of us will probably never have the chance to even notice nevermind buy a newspaper.

So in the meantime, life goes on and we all do our best to make life better for ourselves and others. Well, most of us do! 

So instead of arguing with your neighbour over silly little things why not invite them down to your local bar for a drink tonight. It may be the end of the world as we know it, but you will feel fine!!

Thanks for reading my blog and feel free to share it with all your friends.

-Alan

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Spring in Stockholm......with vice-cream!

Last Friday I got an early taste of spring as I spent a lovely sunny day in Stockholm. While large amounts of snow were still evident last week here in Finland and temperatures were still low enough to catch a cold, I hopped onboard a Viking Line ferry in Helsinki and headed southwest to the picturesque city of Stockholm in Sweden. I had been on short visits to the city before but always during cold and unpleasant weather. This time it was perfect, a bright sunny day with temperatures around 15C degrees. Not too hot, not too cold, perfect conditions for any irishman!

I really like the ferry trip between Finland and Sweden. There's always an interesting mix of people from both countries, aswell as a few russians and the occasional 'foreigner' like me! Everybody onboard always seems to be enjoying themselves.

The weather in Stockholm was indeed good to me on this occasion and I took full advantage of it by walking around the city streets and sitting outside several cafes. Lot's of interesting sights to see. I also noticed a lot of flowers sprouting up around the town centre. A refreshing sight to see after several months of snow and freezing cold.

National Museum of Fine Art, Stockholm.

In the afternoon I dropped by the National Museum of Fine Art where there was a special art exhibition taking place. It was titled 'Lust and Vice', a collection and an account of how sexuality, virtue and sin have been illustrated and shown in art from the 16th century to present day. The exhibition is varied and quite graphical, not the sort of thing you might like to take your grandmother to. Then again, granny does enjoy a good laugh! And yes, once again, lots of interesting things to see!

Here's a video I found on the exhibition. It's only in Swedish, but there's great detail to the images so it's worth a look.


Bildspel, Lust & Last from Nationalmuseum on Vimeo.


Unfortunately this irish catholic boy had to give this exciting exhibition a miss. Alas I had good reason not to corrupt myself with this unique insight. For one thing, the sunshine outside was just too nice to be stuck indoors. And secondly I didn't have much time to see a complete exhibition as I had a tight schedule and a boat to catch at the end of the day.

Instead, I opted for a big fat ice-cream and a short boat trip along Stockholm's canal and waterways instead.
Let's call it my vice-cream!

Here's a short video I put together with some photos of my little day out. A little less costly and not a bad substitute for a day at the gallery!
Excuse the dodgy camerawork and enjoy!

Before I finish this post I want to say a big thank you to the nice person in Exton, Pennsylvania who purchased a print of my painting titled 'Birch Path' yesterday. You have excellent taste and I fully appreciate the sale!

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

-Alan

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Green Day in Helsinki!

On this coming Thursday, March 17th, a few people including myself will be wearing green and celebrating this year's St. Patrick's Day in Finland. Since moving to Finland I have noticed how well the Finnish people are able to enjoy this annual Irish holiday. I could almost say it comes natural! 
Having spent a few winters here in Finland, I can understand why so many Finns embrace this event with such joy and enthusiasm. The winters here are long, dark and extremely cold. And when this kind of weather drags on past February, there comes with it a lot of irritation, frustration and a growing urge to see the snow melt quickly. The more the sun appears, the stronger the feel of Spring! And while this may be the first celebration of the Spring season for many people, the Finnish people can get more value from it than most of us. It's time to forget about the cold and say goodbye to the snow (even if it's still hanging around!), - it's time to party!

This year I am planning my Paddy's Day schedule in Helsinki this year, where I hope to knock back a few pints of Guinness and maybe one or two whiskeys. I haven't decided where to go this year, but I reckon I'll find some craic somewhere! 

There's several places where you can drown the shamrock (if you can find a shamrock!!) in Helsinki this year. Top of the list has to be Molly Malone's pub where you will find 'A Hell of a Band' and also Finn McCool playing a tribute to the Dubliners singer Luke Kelly.

Not too far away from Molly Malone's bar in Helsinki you will find Brègain playing at O'Malley's Irish bar. 

I wish I had a little more information on what other bars have planned, but here are a few links to some bars which may be celebrating this Thursday
.

Parnells Irish Bar, Hämeentie 35, 00500 Helsinki

Kitty O'Shea's Irish bar, Helsinki

The Dubliner. Helsinki

The Castle, Turku

Daniel O'Connell's Irish Bar, Tampere

Parnell's bars in Finland

And finally, if I upset any fans of the band Green Day by my deceptive title please accept my apologies!

Especially for you, here's Green Day on December 15th, 1991 singing an old song in a pub I used to visit frequently back in Dublin. It was an afternoon gig (4-6pm), hence such a quiet 'crowd'. This tiny venue with a capacity of about 40 people was called 'The Attic', and could be found upstairs at a pub called 'The White Horse Inn'. 

Enjoy!

...and just one more thing for those of you good people who read this far down the page.....

Animations provided by MySpaceAnimations.com

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

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-Alan

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