The Rampant Scotland Newsletter - your weekly insight into what has been happening in Scotland, snipped from the Scottish media, for Scots in Scotland and abroad, bringing you news, events plus a Scottish magazine section. Printed with 100% recycled electrons.Previous editions of this Newsletter are available in the Archive> and the Index to the other pages of the Rampant Scotland site is available here>.
The Scottish Snippets Newsletter in its original format began in April 1997 and continued in an unbroken series for 591 issues. Although no longer produced in that format there is now a regular update on the new and updated pages on the Rampant Scotland site and also "Scottie's Diary" on an intermittent basis, To receive this, kust send an e-mail to Scottie with "Subscribe Newsletter" in the subject line.
Current Affairs
Historical Affairs - Topical Items from Scotland's Past
Entertainment
Scots Abroad
Sport
Magazine Section
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
£48 Billion Bid from Royal Bank Consortium
A consortium led by the Edinburgh-based Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has made a 71.1 billion euro (£48.2 billion pounds) bid for Dutch bank ABN Amro - 7 billion euro more than that made by Barclays Bank (and which has already been accepted by the ABN board). The Royal Bank's bid was conditional on the setting aside of the sale of ABN's US subsidiary, LaSalle Bank, which the Dutch organisation had agreed to sell to Bank of America. Royal Bank's partners in the deal are Banco Santander of Spain and Dutch-Belgian bank Fortis. The chairman of ABN favours the bid by Barclays because it would keep his bank intact - the RBS-led group want to split up the various parts of ABN AMRO, taking the portions which fit best with each of them. For example, Royal Bank is keen to take over US-based LaSalle Bank and add it to its portfolio there. There will be a lot of legal wrangling before the matter is resolved - and Barclays could always raise their bid. But analysts say that the benefit to the members of the RBS consortium taking the parts that suit them best should be worth more than Barclays can produce from a takeover.
New £125 Million Hotel
Until recently, Glasgow had very few really tall buildings in the centre of what is still a city of Victorian architecture. Recently, the planners have been agreeing to the construction of high-rise office blocks and now a 26 storey hotel is planned for a corner site in Argyle Street, close to the new "International Financial Services District." The £125 million project will create a 340,000 square feet building with a rooftop pool and health spa, 158 luxury bedrooms, 68 fully serviced flats for those planning longer stays and a ballroom capable of seating 630. Although Scotland's top hotel rating is five star, the promoters of the new "Argyle International" say it would merit six stars. The hotel is being promoted by a London-based businessman who comes from Glasgow. Despite the large number of hotels which have been built in Glasgow in recent years (there are now 9,000 hotel rooms within a 10-mile radius), occupancy rates have never been higher.
Sand Trap for Trump Golf Plan
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has lodged objections to the plan by US entrepreneur Donald Trump to create a billion pound golf development on the coast of Aberdeen at Menie. The project includes two golf courses and a five-star hotel, and could create 6,000 jobs. But SNH warns that the proposed development could damage nature conservation and sand dunes and threaten wildlife in a designated "Site of Special Scientific Interest" (SSSI). The area of the golf course includes part of the largest sand dune system in Scotland, stretching from Newburgh to Bridge of Don. Aberdeenshire Council will consider the SNH advice, along with other factors such as the road infrastructure, the Grampian economy, public services and also their own environmental requirements before making their decision.
Scots Beaches Win Environmental Awards
A record number of Scottish beaches were given an award this week by the Keep Scotland Beautiful organisation. Seven beaches and one marina achieved "Blue Flag" status which is recognised worldwide for locations that meet tough standards of cleanliness, environmental management and provision of information. Another 51 beaches, seven of them new entries, gained "Seaside Award" status. These are often in more rural locations and must have high bathing quality standards and community involvement, but do not have the same level of facilities. Five of the eight Blue Flag winning beaches are in Fife.
Scotland Switches to Broadband
According to British Telecom (BT), the take-up of broadband internet connections in Scotland is ahead of the UK average, with over half of Aberdeenshire and Shetland homes and businesses, for example, using the faster technology. Of course, BT is not the only broadband service provider - there are more than 200 in a very competitive market in which 99% of all homes and businesses are now connected to a broadband-enabled exchange.
Harbour Plans Steam Ahead
The Scottish Executive has given the green light for a multi-million pound extension to the Cairnryan ferry terminal in Galloway. It will allow Stena Line to move from Stranraer and join P&O ferries at Cairnryan in joint port facilities for services across the Irish Sea to Belfast. The enhanced facility will be the largest and best ferry port in Scotland. The new gateway is said by P&O to give the people of south west Scotland a strong foundation for future prosperity. The combined workforce of both ferry operators make them one of the largest employers in south west Scotland. Combined with a relocation of the Belfast terminal, about 25 minutes will be cut from the sailing times between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
More Routes Cleared for Take-Off
Flyglobespan is to begin a direct air service to the Middle East from both Edinburgh and Glasgow in November. Flights to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt will operate throughout the winter as the resort is popular with travellers looking for some sunshine and swimming in the Red Sea at that time of year. Budget airline easyJet is to open a new Edinburgh to Paris route in November. The US-based airline Delta is to discontinue its current nonstop service to Atlanta which will end in October. But the airline is to open a new non-stop route to New York's JFK airport in May next year, with bookings available from later this month.
Nessie-sary Precautions for Endurance Race Competitors
Competitors from as far afield as Australia, Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States have been competing in the first ever visit of the Adventure Racing World Championship, running and cycling over hills and mountains and kayaking and swimming across lochs and down rivers in the Fort William and Lochaber region of the Western Highlands of Scotland. The start line was on the Isle of Rum, but due to unforseen circumstances, one of the teams missed the ferry. They were resigned to missing the event - until the race organisers pulled out all the stops and summoned a helicopter to get the team to the island. Later, it emerged that the 196 competitors had been insured against attack from the Loch Ness Monster (known locally as "Nessie") as they swam and kayaked across the UK's most voluminous area of freshwater. Clearly tackling mountain biking, mountain running, abseiling, mountaineering, river crossing and gorge swimming were considered an acceptable risk - but Nessie was another matter...
Graphic above by Chris Owen Harper at www.adventureart.ca.
Another World Heritage Site?
"Destination Loch Ness" is a group of businesses associated with Loch Ness and the Great Glen which runs from Fort William to Inverness. They have just made a formal application to Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) for the area to be granted World heritage status. This accolade aims to identify, protect and preserve places considered to be of "outstanding value to humanity". The Great Glen is a geological fault line that runs for 73 miles, taking in 20 miles of canals linking 60 miles of freshwater lochs, surrounded by hills and mountains, with historic Urquhart Castle overlooking Loch Ness. And, of course, there is also the famous Loch Ness monster. Currently, there are bids for World Heritage status being pursued in Scotland for the Antonine Wall built by the Romans and Culloden Battlefield, the site of the last real battle fought on British soil.
BBC Springwatch Programme Features Scotland
Popular naturalists Bill Oddie and Kate Humble have been introducing a programme on BBC TV this week which focuses on the wildlife around the UK and how they cope with rearing their young at this time of the year. Sites in Scotland have been well to the fore - ranging from eagles, deer and birds on Islay to urban foxes in Anniesland, Glasgow. Night vision cameras showed two foxes with their cubs, just yards from a busy main road. The nests of birds at the RSPB nature reserve at Lochwinnoch in Ayrshire also had mini cameras fitted to show the eggs hatching and the young birds being fed. But this year the young birds had hatched early and the fledglings had flown before the TV series had started!
Picture via Wikipedia.
Berry Crop at Risk?
According to the National Farmers' Union (NFU), the annual crop of strawberries, raspberries and salad crops may not be harvested due to a lack of European Union migrant workers travelling to the UK. Fife and Tayside are major growing areas for these crops - as the acres of plastic sheeting in the fields attest. According to an NFU spokesman, 13 growers were facing a shortfall of over half the number needed. But fruit farmers in Fife and Tayside said they were reporting no problems - with one saying that he was having to turn away applicants. Many of the workers are students who fund their courses back home in Poland and the Czech Republic. But the problem may be getting workers later in the year, when the students return, as the UK government has cut the number of permits for seasonal agricultural workers. The resurgence of the Scottish soft fruit industry in recent years has been due in part to the arrival of thousands of mainly East European migrants - some from as far away as Russia. At least 95% of the Scottish crop is gathered by such workers, who earn far more than is possible in their own countries.
By Royal Appointment
The award-winning Anstruther Fish Bar in the East Neuk (corner) of Fife, is well used to celebrity customers dropping in for a meal or a "carry-out" of deep-fried fish a chips (French fries). Film stars and even Prince William, while he was attending St Andrews University, have been known to drop by to see why it has such a reputation. There are often queues stretching down the street - at the height of summer, a wait of 30/45 minutes is not uncommon. So staff were stunned this week when a man in a suit pushed his way to the front and announced that the Duchess of Cornwall, the wife of Prince Charles, was in a car outside and wanted a portion of fish and chips - but she wanted it "now". At first the staff thought it was a wind-up but it turned out to be true. Clearly she was not used to having such a delicacy in a car - I know from personal experience that the smell of fried fish and chips will remain in the vehicle for days!
Memorial to Tam the Gun - in Norway
You might have thought that after firing the One O'Clock Gun at Edinburgh Castle for 25 years and transforming it into a performance that attracted thousands of tourists, the city might have erected a memorial to Staff Sergeant Thomas McKay (better known as "Tam the Gun"), who died in 2005. He was the longest serving district gunner since the firing of the One O’Clock Gun began in 1861. He also wrote a humorous (and informative) book entitled " What Time Does the One O'Clock Gun Fire?". But so far there has been not even a plaque in the Capital. Maybe the creation of a monument to him in Bergen, Norway, will act as a prompt. Tam formed a friendship with the local businessmen's guild in Bergen and got married there too - an event covered by Norwegian TV. Now his widow has unveiled a cannon in the centre of Bergen, which will be a memorial to the popular gunner. It had been given to Tam and his wife as a wedding present and a building overlooking the gun is being converted into a museum, with a Scottish-themed bar, featuring pictures of Tam.
Quak Team On Patrol
Whisky distiller Ballantine's at Dumbuck in West Dunbartonshire has had a flock of geese (nicknamed the Scotch Watch - groan) which has guarded the warehouses since the 1950s. They entertained passing motorists and their families, but have not been seen for the last five years. But they had not gone to the great farmyard in the sky, merely to a site at the rear of the bonded warehouses which was out of sight. Now the quack team are back on patrol at the front of the premises, providing a noisy burglar alarm. A spokesman for Chivas Brothers, the distillery owners says that the geese are an "emblem for Ballantine's signifying the watchfulness of our craftsmen at every stage of the whisky making process."
Orange Tips in Highlands and Islands
A survey by Butterfly Conservation Scotland which has been encouraging people in the north of Scotland to report sightings of the distinctive Orange Tip butterfly has produced reports from as far north as Dingwall and as far west as Iona and Mull. Only ten years ago, this lovely butterfly was a rarity even in central Scotland. But global warming has encouraged it to spread its wings further north and it is now a common sight in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. But the conservation charity believes that the new sightings in the far north could also be due to lack of previous recording work in the area, as well as global warming.
Weather in Scotland This Week
Another week of cloud, showers and sunny spells (often all three, several times on the same day). Initially, it was also chilly for the time of year - Edinburgh didn't even reach a maximum temperature of 10C (50F) on Tuesday. Aberdeen and the Highlands of Scotland had over an inch of rain on Wednesday. But the weather picked up as the week progressed and by Friday, a number of places reached 20C (68F), with a fair amount of sunshine, especially in the north and north-west. The outlook for the next few days is for this sunnier and warmer weather to continue.
The illustration of Culzean Castle typifies this week's weather, with the building bathed in sunlight, but dark, heavy rain clouds behind.
This Week's Colour Supplement
This week's large format photographs taken in Scotland to show the current season and its flora and fauna include Anstruther harbour in the East Neuk of Fife (see thumbnail here); an ice-cream cone (!); Eider ducks on the north Fife coast, adjacent to Kingsbarns Golf Course; Lilac and Honeysuckle in Cambo House gardens; newly hatched Cygnets in Drumpellier Country Park. See This Week's Colour Supplement.
Festival to Honour the Colossus of Roads
It was the poet laureate Robert Southey who modified one of the seven wonders of the ancient world (the Colossus of Rhodes) to describe Thomas Telford (1757-1834) as the "Colossus of Roads". Born in Dumfriesshire, 250 years ago this August, Telford was indeed a colossal talent, designing nearly all the major roads, bridges, aqueducts, churches, piers and canals in Britain in the late 18th and early 19th century. His works include the Ellesmere Canal in England in 1793. He did such a good job there that he was asked to survey the rural roads in Scotland - and then implement his proposals. In so doing, Telford built nearly a 1,000 miles of roads and 120 bridges over the next 20 years. He also constructed the Caledonian Canal.. He went on to create the famous Menai Suspension Bridge from Wales to the island of Angelsey. In 1818 he helped to found the Institute of Civil Engineers and became its first president. To mark the 250th anniversary of his birth, a festival is being launched in Moray, in the north of Scotland. This will take place at Craigellachie Bridge, built by Telford and the oldest surviving cast-iron road bridge in Scotland. The festival will mark the start of a "Telford Trail" linking all the sites in Moray linked to the engineer.
Archive of Images of Glasgow's Past
Glasgow University has created an archive of 20,000 rare images of Scotland's past, many of them from pioneers such as David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson. The collection also includes Thomas Annan's famous pictures of the crumbling closes of Glasgow (seen here), commissioned by the City of Glasgow in 1866. Other items include "The Pencil of Nature" by Henry Fox Talbot, the first book to be illustrated with photographs. There are also photographic negatives made by William Speirs Bruce on expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic between 1899 and 1914.
Next Week in Scottish History
Scottish Food Fortnight
Scottish Food Fortnight was established in 2003 to raise awareness of the quality and variety of food and drink on offer in Scotland, and to change the habits of what we eat and where we buy it. Producers, retailers, restaurateurs, farm shops, farmers' markets and hoteliers across Scotland participate in the fortnight to promote and celebrate Scottish produce. This year the event will be held from 1st to 16th September and some of the country’s leading culinary names, including food columnist and cookery expert Lady Claire Macdonald and Michelin star chefs Martin Wishart and Gordon Ramsay have voiced their support. TV Chef Gordon Ramsay insists that Scottish produce is world class, ranging from the most amazing scallops and lobsters to the finest beef in the world. For more details, see Scottish Food Fortnight.
Note for Note Roadshow
Musicians and budding music entrepreneurs are to be offered a valuable insight into how they can improve their earnings, thanks to the music industry's Note for Note Roadshow rolling into Inverness for goNorth on Friday 8th June 2007. Anybody who has ever wondered what a music publisher does, how to collect royalties, or what is involved in setting up a label, can ask representatives from some of UK's the key organisations in the business during a free event. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear presentations from each organisation, have access to drop-in surgeries for one-to-one information and the chance to network at the end of each day.
Scottish Opera Hits the High Notes
Scottish Opera and the Royal Opera House in London are about to embark on a joint project which will result in the filming of their performances for sale on CD and DVD. The London-based company has purchased a leading classical music and dance production and distribution company, Opus Arte. The aim is to link up with Scottish Opera and other companies across Europe to film and sell their performances.
Virtual Tours of Aberdeen's Art and Heritage
A new website has gone live to give people the chance to take a tour of Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen Maritime Museum, The Tolbooth and Provost Skene’s House. Many objects, paintings and photographs from the collections have gone on-line in an innovative, educational website created as part of the "Getting to Grips with Heritage" project. Virtual visitors all across the world can also use the website to click on any number of items to find information on Scottish and local culture, or simply enjoy the many treasures from Aberdeen’s first-class museum collections. See www.aberdeenquest.com.
Scottish Culture Around the World
The main focus of the Scottish Snippets is news items, usually about Scotland but occasionally items from overseas are covered. The new "Scots Abroad" section, invites folk to write in about Scottish-related events in their part of the world. It allows publicity for them and an appreciation by others of just how much Scottish culture is perpetuated in every corner of the globe.
Clan Ranald of Lochaber
The Honourable Clan Ranald of Lochaber has been a broken clan for the past 156 years, because there has been no bloodline Chief to unite Keppoch clansmen and women across the diaspora. Until now that is. After years of research, Ranald Alasdir MacDonald of Keppoch, established with the Court of the Lord Lyon that he was the rightful Chief of the Honourable Clan Ranald of Lochaber. One of the first things he has done, is to create a Keppoch Clann website. The aim is to establish a focal point of contact for clansmen across the diaspora. In other words, a vehicle to promote communication to help draw the scattered family together again, for the benefit of all. Details are available on the website at www.macdonaldofkeppoch.org. He has also designed a personal crest which he is planning to produce in the form of a badge which all his clansmen can wear at social and other occasions. If you are a member of the clan (the surnames associated as septs are listed on the Web site), then you are encouraged to get in touch with the clan chief via the e-mail address (at the foot of the clan home page).
Canadian International Military Tattoo
Maybe they don't have the historic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, but the annual Canadian International Military Tattoo at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, still produces an exciting and colourful display, celebrating Canada's rich cultural heritage. Their 16th international tattoo takes place on June 9th (at 2.30pm and 7.30pm). Participants this year include the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders Pipes and Drums, Lorne Scots Pipes and Drums, Regimental Band of the Royal H.L.I and last but by no means least are the MacLeod of Lewis Celtic Dancers and the Schiehallion Dancers. The US Military Academy Band (who performed a few years back at the Tattoo in Edinburgh) are also giving a display of precision marching - and throwing their rifles around in an amazing synchronised performance.
Austria 0 Scotland 1
Scotland were without a number of important players in their friendly game against Austria in Vienna this week. After a long, gruelling football season, Kenny Miller (who scored Scotland's second goal against Lithuania last September) was injured in the Scottish Cup final. Steven Pressley and Craig Beattie also had to withdraw due to injuries and Scott Brown and Russell Anderson also missed the match. James McFadden is still struggling to overcome an injury that meant he also missed the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Georgia and Italy. Manager Alex McLeish called up Lokomotiv Moscow's Garry O'Connor at the last minute - and it was O'Connor who scored the only goal of the match on Wednesday. So far so good. Scotland's next Euro 2008 qualifying match is away against the Faroes on 6 June. When Scotland played the Faorese team at Hampden last year, the Scots won 6-0. Another win would help keep Scotland near the top of their group.
Scot Wins Indianapolis 500
Dario Franchitti became the first Scot since Jim Clark in 1965 to win the Indianapolis 500 last Monday. The race was halted after 165 of the 200 scheduled laps due to rain. He began in 14th place and worked his way up the field. The cars are not allowed to race when it rains due to the 220mph speeds at which they travel and Franchitti held the lead when storm clouds closed in for a second time.
Adventure Racing World Championship 2007
Team Nike retained their Adventure Racing World Championship title this week after racing non-stop and unsupported for almost 130 hours in extremely harsh conditions over the 500 km course (that contained
some 25,000 metres of ascent). During the event, the team had only five hours sleep in a race that involved swimming, kayaking, cycling and river crossings as well as running. The 49 teams from 22 nations started out from the island of Rum and then the course took them across Knoydart, Scotland's last remaining wilderness, over a chilly Loch Ness, through the wild Monadhliath Mountains and across the centre of Scotland, on lochs and rivers against the natural flow of the water, with the added challenge of carrying and pulling their heavily laden kayaks. The final stages of the route saw the lead teams ascending all the summits in Glen Coe before traversing the legendary Aonach Eagach ridge and finally climbing the UK's highest mountain, Ben Nevis. During much of the race - the toughest endurance event ever staged in the UK- Team Nike had been relentlessly pursued by a French/Swiss Team. They eventually finished in second position, around eight hours behind Nike.
World Badminton Championships
When Scotland hosts the World Team Badminton Championships for the Sudirman Cup on 11-17 June 2007, Glasgow will become only the second city after Copenhagen to have staged the Cup for a second time. Glasgow last staged this prestigious event in 1997 when China lifted the Cup and, fittingly, the Chinese team also recaptured the trophy last year in Beijing in a glittering finale to a week of fabulous competition. Around 700 athletes from over 50 badminton nations will be competing in the foremost tournament on the badminton calendar at the Scotstoun International Sports Arena.