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
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Aftermath of Glasgow Airport Attack
The residents of the village of Houston in Renfrewshire awoke last Sunday to find a large police presence as they descended on a house used by the two Middle Eastern men arrested in connection with the attack on Glasgow Airport. The men had attempted to drive a flaming Jeep, loaded with petrol and gas cannisters, into the arrival hall. Residents in Houston described the search as akin to an American "Swat" team - not something you would expect in Renfrewshire (or Scotland, for that matter), where normally the police do not carry guns.
The two arrested terror suspects (as the media describe them for legal reasons) both had work connections with the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley and initially the man badly burned in the attack was treated at the same hospital. Subsequently, there were two controlled explosions of a car and in a residential block at the hospital as suspect items were uncovered. The two men had connections with those arrested in London 24 hours earlier when two Mercedes, loaded in a similar manner to the Jeep in Glasgow, airport failed to fully detonate.
Meanwhile, back at Glasgow airport, travellers who turned up on Sunday found themselves out in the rain in a long queue waiting to get into the terminal. Around two thirds of flights departed that day. Alex Salmond, the Scottish First Minister (pictured here), turned up at the airport and spoke to travellers and staff. He commented on the excellent job being done not only by the emergency services after the incident but by the airport staff who had made such efforts to try to get things operating again. Within 48 hours things were more or less back to normal, despite the damage to the front of the terminal building, a smell of smoke still pervading the building and armed police on patrol. The airport forecourt reopened, allowing taxis and buses to draw up outside. Over at Edinburgh airport, large concrete blocks have been placed on the pavement, so that no vehicle will be able to reach the terminal building as the Jeep had done at Glasgow.
Hills of Home
There was relief and celebration this week when Alan Johnston, the BBC's correspondent in Gaza was released this week unharmed by his kidnappers after four months in captivity. He said that he was looking forward to seeing the "hills of home." - his parents still live in Lochgoilhead, Argyll. There had been a vociferous campaign for his release throughout his captivity, not just by journalists and other in the UK but around the world - including many in Palestine. The government there had worked hard first of all for him to be kept alive, but also for his release. He was regarded by many as friend of the Palestinians, presenting a balanced report on the region.
Cigarette Smoking Killing the Poor
Newly published statistics show that in the poorest parts of the country 36% of women and 34% of men in Scotland are dying before the age of 70 from smoke-related illnesses. Smoking in wealthier parts of the country has been reduced dramatically over the years (down to 12% of the adult population there), but is still all too prevalent in the deprived areas of Scotland's cities. In parts of Glasgow, for example, 50% of the population still smoke, leading to many preventable early deaths. The Shettleston area of Glasgow has one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the whole of Europe and has one of the highest number of smokers. The research aims to help local agencies target where support and anti-smoking campaigns should be focused. The agency responsible for health in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, claims that since the ban on smoking in public places in March last year they have made considerable progress. The number of smokers seeking help to stop smoking has soared by 30%. In the last four years 53,000 people have attempted to stop smoking with the aid of such programmes as "Starting Fresh".
Billion Pound Slump in North Sea Oil Investment
A report by Oil & Gas UK, a new pan-industry trade body, has warned that rising costs, falling gas prices and the governments's fiscal policies will combine to produce a fall in investment in the North Sea of £1 billion this year. The North Sea is one of the most expensive oil and gas producing areas in the world and operating costs have soared by 40% since 2005. Total spending on exploration, development and production of oil and gas reserves rose by 20% last year to £11.5 billion. But that is expected to fall to between £10 billion and £10.5 billion because of the "severe pressure" on the competitiveness of the UK Continental Shelf. The report also predicts a fall in government tax revenue of £3 billion. Despite these negative forecasts, there is an estimated 25 billion barrels of oil still to be recovered and UK Oil & Gas asserts that "It is still a good place to do business."
Memorial for Forth Bridge Workers
The total number of workers who lost their lives during the construction of the Forth Rail Bridge in the 1880s may never be known with certainty - records in those days were not always accurate. But 71 men and boys are now known to have died during the seven years it took to build the iconic structure. This week, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond unveiled a memorial to them, just yards from the bridge at South Queensferry. It is in the form of a steel replica of a cantilever section of the bridge, with a slate plaque on the plinth bearing the words "In remembrance of the thousands of men and boys who worked on the Forth Rail Bridge and to those who died during its construction." The First Minister was accompanied by the consul general of Japan, in light of the Japanese engineers who also worked on the bridge's construction. A memorial on the other side of the river Forth at North Queensferry is also being proposed. The one-and-a-half mile bridge was built between 1883 and 1890 and at its peak, 4,600 men worked on it.
Double Glazing Company Bankrupt
The multi-million pound, highly respected Penicuik Windows company has gone into receivership, with the loss of over 50 jobs. The company was formed 30 years ago and prospered as many householders opted to install double glazing. Latterly, there has also been a growing market for conservatories. The company, with an annual turnover of £8 million, has blamed a "very competitive market" for their troubles. There are reports of them taking on work at well below cost price in order to keep the work force employed. Now only the factory workers are being retained to fulfill existing orders. It is understood that customers will not lose out as any deposits paid have been ring-fenced. The receivers are hopeful that the firm can be sold as a going concern. Penicuik, a town just to the south of the city of Edinburgh, is no stranger to local companies going into receivership. Edinburgh Crystal, which was also based there, went into administration last year, resulting in the loss of 270 jobs.
Dunfermline "Turning Into Another Cumbernauld"
The North Lanarkshire town of Cumbernauld has an unenviable reputation in architectural circles, largely as a result of its early town centre which was appalling. So when the architect behind ambitious proposals for a civic square in Dunfermline suggested to the local town council that they had previously made a good stab at turning Scotland's one-time capital into "another Cumbernauld," everyone knew he was throwing down a challenge. The architect has drawn up plans for a plaza reminiscent of a medieval town square, with a design inspired by visits to European cities including La Rochelle in France. He wants to create an extra car park under the main square and improve access to the town’s historic Abbey and Abbot House. 50 sheltered housing units, 40 new homes and 20,000 square feet of retail space would also be created. But although the plan would create a lot of interest from private investors, he believes there is a "funding gap" - which should be filled by the local authority. Discussions are continuing.
Two Scottish Book Publishers Merge
Birlinn, an Ediburgh-based publishing company, which includes in its portfolio the successful Alexander McCall Smith "No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series, has become the largest creator of Scottish interest books by taking over rival Mercat Press, also based in the Capital. The combined organisation will have over 1,000 Scottish titles in print. Birlinn's managing director says that the takeover was "a major step towards creating a very strong force in Scotland representing local interests." It was the phenomenal world-wide success of McCall Smith's "No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series that propelled Birlinn forward and in 2002 the company bought Polygon, which had earlier published first or early novels by major Scottish writers, including Ian Rankin, James Kelman and Janice Galloway. Other Edinburgh-based publishers include Canongate (publisher of the globally popular "Life of Pi"), Mainstream and Black and White.
Whisky Galore 1
Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin maker, has announced that it is to invest £4.75 million on its bottling operations at Paisley and Dumbarton to increase capacity and improve efficiency. The company has its HQ in Paisley and employs around 1,600 staff across Scotland, with 600 of these in Paisley. The company says that sales of its key brands Chivas Regal, Ballantine's, The Glenlivet and Beefeater Gin have been growing.
Whisky Galore 2
Scotch whisky is now sold in over 200 countries worldwide and is one of the UK's top five manufactured exports, accounting for 25% of all British food and drink exports. The industry is worth £2.47billion to Scotland in overseas sales, with 90% of production going abroad. But in order to protect their home-grown spirit industries, some countries abroad impose additional import tariffs which impact on the ability to sell there. India has been one of those countries, with an additional duty of up to 550% introduced in 2001. The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has been lobbying the World Trade Organisation and other bodies to get the extra tax removed and has now succeeded after six years. The Indian government has agreed to drop the additional customs duty on imported alcohol - which applied to all spirits, not just Scotch. The SWA says the change will not transform the Scotch whisky market in India overnight but it will open up possibilities for Scottish distillers to compete. And it is good news for Indian consumers!
Whisky Galore 3
Ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne (Calmac) is having to add extra sailings between the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides and the mainland in order to cope with the increasing number of trucks being used by the island's eight distilleries as they increase production to meet record demand for their product. Countries such as China and Brazil are demanding more Scotch and a by-product of that has also been a rise in the price of whisky for everyone. The ferry company is awaiting approval to use a second vessel on the link between Islay and the mainland.
Chatterbox Scots
Forget that image of the dour reticent Scot! A survey of non-business phone calls by loyalty card group Nectar has revealed that Scots spend more time on the phone than any other region in the UK. It is estimated that 62% of adults north of the border spend an average of more than 30 minutes a day on the phone. And just in case you think that it's the women who are doing most of the talking, it seems that men are more likely to be chatting on their mobiles. Women on the other hand, seem to have discovered the joys of text and e-mail via their phones instead. In the last five years the time spent by the average man on the phone has gone up from 22 minutes in 2002 to 32 minutes in the last year.
Falcons Take Up Residence in Aberdeen
A family of peregrine falcons has become a regular sight in the centre of Aberdeen, with two adults and four chicks creating a spectacle in the skies above the city centre. Peregrine falcons are amongst the world's fastest species, with flight speeds of over 200 mph as it dives from a great height to catch its prey. It has a wingspan of about 40 inches and feeds almost exclusively on birds, such as doves, waterfowl and songbirds. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has set up a viewing point on Union Terrace with binoculars and telescopes so that members of the public can get a good view. The young birds are flying, but are still dependant on their parents for food, so they often land on nearby buildings, offering a great view for the bird watchers.
Ducks of Hazard "Escape"
The heavy rain last week caused various problems around the country - including hundreds of plastic ducks being used in a charity "race" on the Water of Leith in Edinburgh making a bid for freedom. Sponsors had paid for their numbered duck to race down the river, with the first ones over the line winning a prize. But the strong currents had driven debris into the nets used to catch the ducks at the end of the race, creating a large hole - through which 1,500 of the 2,000 yellow plastic ducks evaded the catchers. This could have created a problem for the charity as it would have been expensive to replace the ducks for the event next year. However, all is well. The flotilla of plastic ducks continued downstream and reached the mouth of the river at Leith Docks. After causing a stir amongst passers-by who didn't know what was going on, they were gathered up with other debris when they reached a boom under a swing bridge. They were heading for a landfill site when they were rescued and returned to their grateful owners!
Bangers a Smash Hit in US
Viewers of a shopping channel in the United States responded in such numbers to a recent advert for Dumfries and Galloway pork sausages that all 19,000 of the "bangers" (the slang name for sausages) were snapped up in just five minutes. 800 boxes, each containing 24 sausages were bought for $34.75 each and the producers have placed an order for another 2,000 boxes from Buccleuch Foods of Castle Douglas.
Bad Weather Affecting Farmers
The prolonged spell of bad weather is having a bad effect on farming in Scotland, with no hay cut and the grass deteriorating and going to seed; sheep are not dry enough to allow their fleeces to be clipped; and potato growers are being warned of disease, but are unable to spray their crops to prevent its spread. Spring barley should be getting a final spray to protect the crop, but the ground is so wet that it has not been possible to do that. Lack of sunshine is slowing down the filling-out of grain crops and fruit growers were finding their crops ripening more slowly. At least most soft fruit and some other crops are grown in polythene tunnels these days (see graphic), and may recover if the weather improves.
Weather in June
In June, long-standing rainfall records going back 150 years were broken in many parts of England as twice the long-term average rainfall descended during the month, with 5.5 inches of rain overall. But that was just an average and some places had a lot more, resulting in severe flooding. Yorkshire, for example, had three times the normal rainfall. Thousands of people had to be moved to emergency accommodation in Sheffield and Hull. Although the flood waters have subsided, it is expected that many will not be able to return to their homes this year as a major clean-up operation will take a long time to complete. In Hull alone, 17,000 properties across the city were affected and over 10,000 people had to be evacuated. Insurers estimate so far that they will be paying out over £1.5 billion in claims. In Scotland, although it was a dull and damp month, it was not nearly as bad as down south. The average rainfall in Scotland in June is 2.5 inches but this June it was 4.4 inches, with Edinburgh and Aberdeen experiencing even more than this. Most of Scotland had below average hours of sunshine (84% of the long term average), the exception being the Western Isles which somehow managed above average levels of sun. Abnormal easterly winds often produced mist and "haar" along the east coast during the month and that kept the sun away. Although there were many days when it felt chilly for the time of year, the Meteorological Office data show that overall Scotland was 0.8C (1.4F) warmer in June than the 1961-1990 average.
Weather in Scotland This Week
The dull rainy weather of June has continued into the first week of July, affecting sports events and outdoor concerts. Roads in Moray were affected by torrential rain and flash flooding on Monday The Western Isles continued to get the best of the weather with a fair amount of sunshine in Stornoway on Sunday and Tuesday. It was a bit milder than of late, reaching 19/20C (66/68F) in Edinburgh and Glasgow on Wednesday. But cloud, rain and drizzle was the order of the day until Saturday - when the sun came out for a while over both cities.
The illustration is of an Argyranthemum of the "Vancouver" variety, in Logan Botanic Gardens.
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 Port Logan Bay in the extreme south-west of Galloway; a particularly colourful Gazania at the Logan Botanic Gardens (see thumbnail); Carlsluith castle, overlooking Wigtown Bay ; the Cistercian Glenluce Abbey, founded by the Lord of Galloway in 1192; Hemerocallis, the Day Lily; Mull of Galloway, the most southerly point in Scotland. See This Week's Colour Supplement.
John Murray Archive
A new exhibition using documents, historic letters and rare books from the John Murray Archive has opened in Edinburgh at the National Library of Scotland (NLS). The full collection contains over 150,000 letters and manuscripts by Byron, Scott, Darwin, Livingstone, J. M. Barrie, Wordsworth, John Constable and countless other figures of global significance. It offers a rich view of the nation’s cultural and intellectual life from 1768 through to 1920 and is the most historically significant literary archive to become publicly available in the past hundred years. The exhibition uses interactive technology so that items from the collection can be examined and refreshed over time so as to encourage visitors to return many times. There is also a recreation of the fireplace in Albemarle Street where the second John Murray in the family famously burned the memoirs of Lord Byron. Other items include a drawing by David Livingston as he camped at the edge of Lake Nyassa and a letter from Charles Darwin in which he pitched the idea for his "Origin of Species." The NLS is heading towards its target of £33 million to buy the collection, including a £17.7 million award from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Scottish Executive has contributed £6.5 million from central resources. NLS are continuing to campaign to raise the remaining £5 million needed to complete the purchase.
The graphic shows a letter written by David Livingston.
Tribute to David Livingston
The great grandson of King Nzinga Nkuvu, who met explorer and missionary David Livingstone in the Congo, paid his respects to the Scottish doctor at the David Livingstone Memorial Centre in Blantyre, Lanarkshire this week. The king's descendant, Bafiba Zomba Clement-Patrice, is the vice-governor of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.He is among an African delegation touring recycling facilities in Scotland. David Livingstone is still highly regarded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially as he fought for the abolition of slavery.
Next Week in Scottish History
Wet Weekend for Pop Festival
Regular attenders at the T in the Park pop festival at Balado near Kinross are well used to making sure that they come dressed for the Scottish summer weather - with wellington boots, raincoats and waterproof headgear. This weekend is no exception - as it proves to be one of the squelchiest for a while. Up to 80,000 fans will be turning up over the weekend, many of them camping out in the fields. On Friday, they found themselves stranded in long traffic queues as the car park turned into a mud bath. Eventually, after lengthy delays, as the car park was closed, they were being told to go away and come back by public transport the following day. Many just abandoned their cars at the side of the road and walked in the pouring rain to the festival. At least they shouldn't find it cold - temperatures are expected to reach 17/18C (63/64F) - and they may even need their sun glasses on Sunday.
Mud, Glorious Mud
The Game Conservancy Scottish Fair at Scone Palace last weekend was badly affected by heavy rain on Saturday and Sunday. Thick mud covered many of the walk-ways but at least the rain meant that visitors spent more time in the covered stands, including the food hall and craft fairs. At the nearby river Tay, history was being made. For the first time ever, the Game Conservancy Casting Championship was won by a lady!
Tourist Potential for Diving at St Abbs
A study into the potential of marketing St Abbs and Eyemoth on the coast of Berwickshire has suggested that as a top sea diving location it could bring in as many as 15,000 extra visitors and generate £2 million for the Scottish economy. The area, with its stunning cliffs, coastline, bird sanctuary and charming villages, is a popular port of call for knowledgeable tourists even now. The Berwickshire coast is already one of the top five diving sites in the UK with a number of impressive reef and rock formations, plenty of marine life as well as famous shipwrecks. But it is proposed that there should be a development of facilities for diving and for watersports and a festival linking with East Lothian and Northumberland (over the border into England) could build on what the area already has to offer. But more accommodation would need to be set up in this quiet backwater and the road access would require upgrading.
Queen Reopens Dundee Park
In the summer, Scotland gets more than its fair share of royal visits to open new buildings and attractions as the Queen takes up residence initially in the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, before moving on for her annual break at Balmoral. This week, she was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh as she visited Dundee to reopen the city's Baxter Park and its pavilion after a £5 million makeover. Just before her arrival, it had been raining hard and guests had been sheltering wherever they could. But just as she arrived, the sun broke through and the rain stopped - at least for a while. One wee boy from a local nursery school was heard pointing at the pavilion and telling his friends that it must be the Queen's palace...
Hook ‘n’ Cook Your Lunch
This summer, the luxury 16-bedroom Ardanaiseig country house hotel overlooking the waters of Loch Awe in Argyll, is launching "Hook ‘n’ Cook." This offers both novice and experienced fishermen the opportunity to enjoy a morning’s fishing on the loch, which is renowned for its unusually large trout, followed by an al fresco lunch on the lawn, with the morning’s catch cooked by the hotel’s award-winning chef. Clearly Ardanaiseig is confident about the ability of the loch (and the anglers' skill) to produce the input to the lunch! The restaurant at Ardanaiseig has an excellent reputation for its seafood, most of which comes from Loch Awe and the surrounding rivers. The loch is particularly famous for its ferrox trout, an unusual species which grow especially large in its very clean waters. The experienced ghillie takes groups of up to four out on the boat, and will teach novices how to cast a fly and land a fish. On return, Head Chef Gary Goldie prepares and cooks the fish while guests enjoy a pre-lunch aperitif. Alternatively, guests can fish for a full day, stopping for a gourmet picnic lunch, and eat their catch in the evening as part of the restaurant’s five-course dinner menu. See also www.ardanaiseig.com and a review of staying at Ardanaiseig at Rampant Scotland's Great Places to Stay.
Scottish Culture Around the World
The main focus of the Scottish Snippets is news items, usually about Scotland. But the "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.
Larger Than Life Scots
The Douglas County Scottish Society of Douglas County, Oregon will be presenting its annual Celtic Highland Games and Clan Gathering on August 17th, 18th & 19th at Riverbend Park in Winston, Oregon. In order to promote the games, a series of larger than life plywood figures have been placed throughout the county. Although the figures represent a number of "Great Scots", there is the added embellishment of the faces being of various well-known members of the Douglas County Scottish Society! An Edged Weapons Contest is another unusual feature of these games, which also stages the Oregon State Championships. This year's headliners providing entertainment include the Southern Oregon Scottish Bagpipe Band, Molly's Revenge Celtic music band, Golden Bough Celtic music trio, Oregon State Defense Force Pipeband and Mountain Aire folk music duet playing fiddle, guitars, flute, bodhran and other acoustic instruments. For more on the society and their Highland Games, see www.dcscots.org.
Scotland's Under-20 Team Struggle
As a portent of future success (or otherwise) of the full national squad, the results produced by Scotland's Under-20 football team in FIFA's U-20 World Cup do not augur well. Japan's speed and skill - and two errors by the Scotland goal-keeper - produced a 3-1 defeat for the Scots. The only consolation for the team and the goalkeeper was that the margin could have been larger if the keeper had not made some good saves. Then, two days later against Nigeria, Scotland lost again - this time by a margin of 2-0. Nigeria took to the second half to open the scoring. Scotland's chances of qualifying for the next phase of the competition look slim. They have to defeat Costa Rica on Saturday and hope that other results go in their favour.
South Africa v Scotland
It has been confirmed that the South African football team will play Scotland in a friendly international on August 22. The game will be played at Aberdeen's football ground at Pittodrie. The match will be part of Scotland's preparations for their Euro 2008 qualifiers against Lithuania on September 8 and France on September 12.
136th Open Golf Championship
Carnoustie in Angus is ready and waiting to host the 136th Open Golf Championship on July 19th - 22nd. The course is regarded as one of the most demanding - the last time it was held there (in 1999), Aberdonian Paul Lawrie defeated the world's best - with a final score of six over par. The narrow fairways, long rough grass and strong winds of the seaside course induced some to call it "Carnastie". Lawrie came from ten strokes behind the overnight leader on the final day to win the Championship in a three-way play-off. Ranked 159th at that time in the world professional golf rankings (and the first player outside of the top 150 to win a major since the rankings were introduced 13 years ago), Laurie rose 111 places in the table as a result of the win - and won the first prize of £350,000 as well as the coveted claret jug trophy. In four out of the last seven Open Championships since then, Lawrie has failed to even make the cut after two rounds. He will be hoping that memories of his triumph will help him do better this year.
Knighthood for Rangers Chairman
David Murray, the chairman of Rangers Football Club and a successful businessman, was knighted this week by the Queen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Now Sir David, the Ayr-born tycoon, received the honour for his services to business rather than to sport - though he has invested millions of his personal fortune Rangers.
Rain Stops Play
Two showpiece cricket matches in Scotland this week had to be cancelled because of the wet weather. Cricket is an outdoor sport that can only be played in dry conditions and the rain resulted in a wash-out of the first one-day international of the summer, Scotland's much-anticipated match with Pakistan. Scottish cricket enthusiasts (and there are a surprising number of them) should be getting used to that situation by now - rain wrecked a similar Scotland v Australia game in 2005. Two days after the Scotland v Pakistan joust was abandoned, an even more glamorous confrontation between Pakistan and India was also washed away. With a large number of people from the Indian sub-continent resident in Glasgow and Scotland generally, a large crowd had been expected for a match that would have had the same level of rivalry and partisan support as one involving Scotland and England. The good-natured supporters were disappointed when their heros were not able to play because of the downpour. The match had been organised by the Prince of Wales in aid of charities in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the UK. Because of this, it is still hoped that it may be possible to reschedule the game.