Author Topic: Scottie's Snippets  (Read 10310 times)

Barbara

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Scottie's Snippets
« on: February 24, 2008, 04:01:16 PM »
Hello everyone, on the DHA MacTavish Forum I posted Scottie's Snippets and thought I would do the same here.  If anyone has objections to this, say so and I'll not post them.  :)


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CURRENT AFFAIRS
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Hovercraft Plans Up in the Air
Perth-based transport giant Stagecoach had hoped to build on the successful
trial of a hovercraft service across the estuary of the river Forth between
Kirkcaldy in Fife and Portobello near Edinburgh, by introducing a full
service this year. But this week the company complained that the project to
establish a link between Kirkcaldy and Leith had become bogged down in
negotiations over funding and had become a "political football." As a
result, the service will not start until 2009 - and only if it secures
financial backing. 32,000 people travelled on last year's trial and
Stagecoach predict that it could attract 870,000 passengers onto the
hovercraft within its first four years. The company insists it could be
financially viable, but is looking for assistance with set-up costs. Their
investment would be £10.3 million, but they are looking for a public sector
subsidy of £3.3 million for the first three years.

Roof for Buchanan Street?
While city-centre shops in the major cities around Scotland are still
thriving, there is no doubt that they have lost business to out of town
shopping malls. It's not just the free parking that is attractive either -
in Scotland's climate there is a decided advantage in going on major
shopping expeditions under cover. Glasgow city centre has the large,
covered Buchanan Galleries and the St Enoch Centre, but connecting the two
enclosed malls is the up-market Buchanan Street - open to the elements.
Even so, it is regarded as the "jewel in the crown" of Glasgow city centre,
second only to Oxford Street in London as a retail destination. Now a
businessman, who has spent £50 million buying property at the junction of
Buchanan Street and Royal Exchange Square, is proposing to transform the
area by erecting a roof over the street. James Mortimer says that the
concept is similar to the glamorous Italian-style covered "galleria" in
Milan and it would be attractive given the often dreich (dreary and dull)
weather in the west of Scotland. It could be just a pie in the sky (or roof
in the sky) idea - and would hide the attractive stone buildings that give
the area much of its character.

Loch Lomond to Clyde Waterway?
A proposal has been made to study the feasibility of creating a
multi-million pound link connecting Loch Lomond with the river Clyde, via
the river Leven and a stretch of new canal. It would help to revitalise one
of the country's most deprived areas along the way by encouraging tourism.
The Lomond Canal project is estimated at this stage to cost £80 million and
would link Loch Lomond to the Forth and Clyde Canal at Bowling, creating
access from there by boat across central Scotland.


Another Battle for Berwick?
The historic town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, on the border between Scotland and
England, changed hands between the two countries 13 times from the 12th to
the 15th centuries. Although the river Tweed largely forms the border
between the two countries in the north-east of England, the town of Berwick
forms an enclave north of the river. Being the most northerly town in
England, it has retained many links with Scotland, with accents sounding
more Scottish than English. An opinion poll found that 25% of the town
consider themselves English, 25% Scottish, and 50% "Berwickers." A more
recent on-line poll has appeared to confirm a desire to enjoy the perceived
benefits of being Scottish (such as free personal care for the elderly and
no university tuition fees), with 80% voting for becoming part of Scotland.
The Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Scottish Borders has
joined the tug-of-war by tabling a motion calling for the return of Berwick
to "Scottish nationhood" and she argued her case on a national TV news
programme. Opponents point to the legal and administrative minefield such a
move would create. But the bookmakers don't dismiss the idea - they are
offering odds of only 10-1 that Berwick-upon-Tweed would become part of
Scotland by St Andrew's Day 2012.

Tartan Day in Scotland
The idea of celebrating the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration
of Arbroath by King Robert the Bruce on 6 April 1320, has its origins
amongst Scottish communities around the world. It is only in very recent
years that the event has been marked in Scotland itself. But since 2004,
the Scottish government has promoted and supported a range of Tartan Day
celebration on home territory - as well as the annual extravaganza in New
York. In Scotland this year, from 29 March to 6th April there will be eight
gala dinners, ceilidhs, debates, celebrity-studded receptions, a special
Robert the Bruce Celebration and international sporting events, including
top class golf tournaments, culminating in the historic re-enactment of the
Signing of the Declaration of Arbroath. This year's programme is bigger
than ever - and is heading towards the 700th anniversary of the signing of
the Declaration of Arbroath in 2020, involving all local authorities
throughout Scotland as well as other countries across the world.
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HISTORICAL AFFAIRS  - Topical Items Relating to Scotland's Past
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First King of Scotland's Palace
Archaeologists believe that they are close to discovering the site of a
wooden castle belonging to Kenneth MacAlpine, who united the Picts and the
Scots and effectively became the first king of Scotland in the 9th century.
They have narrowed down the location in the Perthshire village of
Forteviot. The palace is mentioned in medieval and later texts as being a
stone building. But because it's early medieval, the researchers believe it
would have been a wooden building. Archaeologists have already identified
the entrance of an enclosure and a graveyard - which could have been the
biggest in Scotland at that time. About 40 researchers and some local
people plan to return to the dig later this year in the hope of pinpointing
the royal palace. Kenneth MacAlpine died there in 858. He had been forced
to move his power base from the west coast of Scotland due to pressure from
marauding Vikings from Scandinavia.

Jacobite Ring Sells for £12,000
A ring which was used by Jacobite agents to identify themselves while
carrying secret messages from Bonnie Prince Charlie has been sold at
auction for £12,200. The ring is set with an emerald and had been given a
pre-sale estimate of £3,000. The ring bore a concealed inscription "CRIII
1766" which proved the allegiance of its wearer to the Jacobite cause.
Anyone caught with documents signed by the prince after his defeat at
Culloden in 1746 faced execution, so proof of authenticity was provided
instead by the ring. 1766 was the year that Prince Charles' father James
died, leaving the Young Pretender to consider himself the rightful king.


Weather in Scotland This Week
There have been good spells of sunshine in the last couple of weeks, though
it was sometimes still on the chilly side with maximum temperatures only
reaching 5/6C (41/42F) or even 2C (36F) in Lossiemouth on a day when the
fog refused to lift. But temperatures rose this week, with Aberdeen
enjoying a balmy 15C (59F) on Thursday and again on Saturday. Other areas
did not quite match that and high winds in the second half of the week made
it feel even chillier. After a long dry spell, rain returned in many parts
of the country in the second half of the week - it was particularly heavy
in the west.


Barbara
« Last Edit: February 24, 2008, 04:07:26 PM by Barbara »
"Kindness is the language the deaf can hear and the blind can see." - Mark Twain

Booner

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Re: Scottie's Snippets
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2008, 10:08:50 PM »
Post away, Barbie.

Big T

Barbara

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Re: Scottie's Snippets
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2008, 11:20:40 PM »
Thanks Big T.   :D

Barb
"Kindness is the language the deaf can hear and the blind can see." - Mark Twain