By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
10 December 2009
A WOMAN is in a serious condition in hospital after being hit by a car close to a pedestrian crossing.
The 64-year-old was hit near the pelican crossing on Melville Terrace, close to the junction of Livingstone Place, shortly after 5pm.
The woman was conscious and breathing when paramedics rushed her to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with head and leg injuries. Her condition was said to be serious.
The driver was questioned by police and released.
Police are currently investigating the circumstances of the crash.
One witness, who did not want to be named, said: "The woman didn't cross at the crossing itself, but a few metres up the road after the crossing.
"There are barriers either side of the crossing, and the woman decided to cross to the left of the barrier.
"The car went past the pedestrian crossing and hit her with such force that his windscreen was smashed. The paramedic that tended to her ascertained that she had a fractured skull, and she was taken to the hospital by ambulance."
The entire stretch of Melville Terrace was closed for several hours while police investigated.
Sgt Mark Banner, investigating the incident at the scene last night, said: "The woman's injury is serious and we are therefore treating the incident as serious, which is why we have closed the road and brought out so many officers to investigate.
"We are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident, so we don't yet know if any charges will be brought. All we know at the moment is that there was one car, and one pedestrian involved.
"The driver has been spoken to and released. He has not been arrested."
http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh/64yearold-hit-by-car-seriously.5900132.jp
Thursday, 10 December 2009
NEWS: I don't ever want to hear about Go Go Hamsters ever again
By MARK McLAUGHLIN and VICTORIA RAIMES
Edinburgh Evening News
10 December 2009
I don't get it....but then again I'm not 3-years-old
IT'S the must-have toy this Christmas, but you're Go-Going to have to get your skates on to get one.
Jenners has announced it is due to release what is likely to be its final pre-Christmas batch of Go Go Hamsters – the £9.99 surprise hit of the winter – at 9am on Saturday.
With the new stock limited to around two dozen, staff are bracing themselves for chaos and will be operating a strict one-per-person, first-come first-served ticketing system outside the Princes Street store before opening.
A similar system caused arguments at Toys R Us last weekend, with staff reporting abusive complaints from irate customers looking for more than one toy.
Alan Thomlinson, depute store manager at Jenners, said: "We've never had this kind of demand before so we've had to put a ticketing system in place for the first time in the store's history.
"My advice would be to get here early. I wouldn't like to put a time on it, it will be up to the customers to use their judgement as to how early they're willing to queue for these toys.
"There won't be any other fanfare going on that morning. The idea is to get the customers in and out the door as quickly and safely as possible."
With some Edinburgh-based eBay sellers receiving bids upwards of £100 for their hamsters, there is the potential for an early morning bidding war for a place in the queue on Saturday.
Jenners' rival John Lewis has confirmed there will be no more deliveries before Christmas.
Toys R Us in Kinnaird Park had a delivery last Friday and said it may be getting another delivery tomorrow.
A store source said: "This Go Go Hamster business is crazy – it's straight out of the film Jingle All the Way.
"We have people lining up outside the store from 6am and they set out camp with deck chairs and all sorts. We've been handing out tea and coffee to keep them warm.
"As there is such a rush for the hamsters, we are operating a ticket system to make sure everybody is treated fairly. We are only selling one hamster plus one accessory to each person to try and ensure that everybody gets one, although some people are left disappointed.
"A few people become abusive because they want to buy more than one, but most understand."
Parents have clearly not been deterred by a recent health scare sparked by US consumer group Good Guide, which claimed that the fur on one of the rodents contained traces of an arsenic-like chemical beyond permitted levels.
The hamster in question – Mr Squiggles – was cleared by European and US regulators.
Jenners manager George Bell said: "We are aware of the claims that one of the hamsters may be toxic, but the manufacturers said there was no need for a recall as they have passed all the safety standards. We've been assured by the manufacturers that the toys we have for sale are absolutely fine."
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Jenners-gears-up-to-sell.5900138.jp
Edinburgh Evening News
10 December 2009
I don't get it....but then again I'm not 3-years-old
IT'S the must-have toy this Christmas, but you're Go-Going to have to get your skates on to get one.
Jenners has announced it is due to release what is likely to be its final pre-Christmas batch of Go Go Hamsters – the £9.99 surprise hit of the winter – at 9am on Saturday.
With the new stock limited to around two dozen, staff are bracing themselves for chaos and will be operating a strict one-per-person, first-come first-served ticketing system outside the Princes Street store before opening.
A similar system caused arguments at Toys R Us last weekend, with staff reporting abusive complaints from irate customers looking for more than one toy.
Alan Thomlinson, depute store manager at Jenners, said: "We've never had this kind of demand before so we've had to put a ticketing system in place for the first time in the store's history.
"My advice would be to get here early. I wouldn't like to put a time on it, it will be up to the customers to use their judgement as to how early they're willing to queue for these toys.
"There won't be any other fanfare going on that morning. The idea is to get the customers in and out the door as quickly and safely as possible."
With some Edinburgh-based eBay sellers receiving bids upwards of £100 for their hamsters, there is the potential for an early morning bidding war for a place in the queue on Saturday.
Jenners' rival John Lewis has confirmed there will be no more deliveries before Christmas.
Toys R Us in Kinnaird Park had a delivery last Friday and said it may be getting another delivery tomorrow.
A store source said: "This Go Go Hamster business is crazy – it's straight out of the film Jingle All the Way.
"We have people lining up outside the store from 6am and they set out camp with deck chairs and all sorts. We've been handing out tea and coffee to keep them warm.
"As there is such a rush for the hamsters, we are operating a ticket system to make sure everybody is treated fairly. We are only selling one hamster plus one accessory to each person to try and ensure that everybody gets one, although some people are left disappointed.
"A few people become abusive because they want to buy more than one, but most understand."
Parents have clearly not been deterred by a recent health scare sparked by US consumer group Good Guide, which claimed that the fur on one of the rodents contained traces of an arsenic-like chemical beyond permitted levels.
The hamster in question – Mr Squiggles – was cleared by European and US regulators.
Jenners manager George Bell said: "We are aware of the claims that one of the hamsters may be toxic, but the manufacturers said there was no need for a recall as they have passed all the safety standards. We've been assured by the manufacturers that the toys we have for sale are absolutely fine."
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Jenners-gears-up-to-sell.5900138.jp
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
DOHA: The Road To Jahannam
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
In DOHA
22 November 2009
Jahannam is the Islamic word for Hell, and judging by my first few days in Doha I could be speeding my way there pretty soon.
Spent the first full night in Qatar in the Doha Sheraton Hotel "Irish Bar", which is licensed to sell alcohol - a proscribed substance nearly everywhere in the Arabian penninsula except in specially licensed clubs or bars.
Women are also forbidden from displaying their shoulders or knees (as well as the other obvious taboo body parts) outside these licensed areas, so they make the most of it in the hotel bars by wearing as little as possible.
There is, however, a high cost for breaking these prohibitions, even in licensed premises. Apart from the risk of losing your soul to Shaitan (that's Satan to you and me), it costs 38 Qatari Riyals (over six quid) for a pint of Guiness. The penalty for non-maritial relations is a year in prison.
Friday night also introduced me to a taxi ride on Doha roads. The driving is wild and I'm reliably informed that by the time my visit is over I will see, or be involved in a (hopefully non-fatal) road accident. Crossing points are also very rare on the main roads, meaning you may have to walk half a mile to find a place to cross or risk you life during a break in three lanes of constantly weaving traffic.
In contrast to Britain's sparing use of the horn (which is normally used to indicate imminent danger and occassionally to express frustration at the kind of driving that is customary in Doha), the horn in Doha appears to be a form of driver communication, like the twittering of birds. During particularly frustating episodes of gridlock, where any movement is impossible and frustrated horns therefore futile, they nevertheless become a cacophony akin to a herd of trumpeting elephants.
Hopefully I'll make it home alive.
In DOHA
22 November 2009
Jahannam is the Islamic word for Hell, and judging by my first few days in Doha I could be speeding my way there pretty soon.
Spent the first full night in Qatar in the Doha Sheraton Hotel "Irish Bar", which is licensed to sell alcohol - a proscribed substance nearly everywhere in the Arabian penninsula except in specially licensed clubs or bars.
Women are also forbidden from displaying their shoulders or knees (as well as the other obvious taboo body parts) outside these licensed areas, so they make the most of it in the hotel bars by wearing as little as possible.
There is, however, a high cost for breaking these prohibitions, even in licensed premises. Apart from the risk of losing your soul to Shaitan (that's Satan to you and me), it costs 38 Qatari Riyals (over six quid) for a pint of Guiness. The penalty for non-maritial relations is a year in prison.
Friday night also introduced me to a taxi ride on Doha roads. The driving is wild and I'm reliably informed that by the time my visit is over I will see, or be involved in a (hopefully non-fatal) road accident. Crossing points are also very rare on the main roads, meaning you may have to walk half a mile to find a place to cross or risk you life during a break in three lanes of constantly weaving traffic.
In contrast to Britain's sparing use of the horn (which is normally used to indicate imminent danger and occassionally to express frustration at the kind of driving that is customary in Doha), the horn in Doha appears to be a form of driver communication, like the twittering of birds. During particularly frustating episodes of gridlock, where any movement is impossible and frustrated horns therefore futile, they nevertheless become a cacophony akin to a herd of trumpeting elephants.
Hopefully I'll make it home alive.
DOHA: Castles Made of Sand
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
in DOHA
20 November 2009
My first impression of Doha was to note just how massive it is. Coming from Edinburgh I'm accustomed to a whole city contained within the space of few square miles. Doha is a sprawling mass that eminates outward from a horseshoe shaped harbour, flanked at its northern edge by a futuristic cityscape that puts Blade Runner to shame.
At the northern tip of the harbour stands the toblerone shaped Doha Sheraton Hotel, and to the south is the newish Museum of Islamic Art, a lego shaped building full of artifacts from 1000 years of Islamic history (might do a full review later).
From there the city expands outwards in concentric circles, marked out by circular motorways called simply Ring Road A through to E.
Outside of the Blade Runner metropolis at the shore, the rest of Doha architecture consists of simple, flat roofed buildings the colour of sand, as though they were whipped up in a sandstorm by an industrialist djinn. Conical spikes stick out every half mile or so signifying the ubiquitous mosques, which five times a day cry out in unison for the call to prayer. Most expats grow tired of this regular interuption to their day (especially the sunrise call at 4.30am) but to the ininitiated they have a haunting quality.
in DOHA
20 November 2009
My first impression of Doha was to note just how massive it is. Coming from Edinburgh I'm accustomed to a whole city contained within the space of few square miles. Doha is a sprawling mass that eminates outward from a horseshoe shaped harbour, flanked at its northern edge by a futuristic cityscape that puts Blade Runner to shame.
At the northern tip of the harbour stands the toblerone shaped Doha Sheraton Hotel, and to the south is the newish Museum of Islamic Art, a lego shaped building full of artifacts from 1000 years of Islamic history (might do a full review later).
From there the city expands outwards in concentric circles, marked out by circular motorways called simply Ring Road A through to E.
Outside of the Blade Runner metropolis at the shore, the rest of Doha architecture consists of simple, flat roofed buildings the colour of sand, as though they were whipped up in a sandstorm by an industrialist djinn. Conical spikes stick out every half mile or so signifying the ubiquitous mosques, which five times a day cry out in unison for the call to prayer. Most expats grow tired of this regular interuption to their day (especially the sunrise call at 4.30am) but to the ininitiated they have a haunting quality.
DOHA: Santa Clause in Saudi Arabia
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
at Amsterdam Schipol Airport-Dammam-Doha
19 November 2009
Set off for Doha in the early hours of this morning, with a five hour stopover at Amsterdam Schipol Airport. Having never been to Amsterdam, but heard many a story from my reprobate friends, I was disappointed to find the airport devoid of strippers. I did, however, find the "slag room", which much to my annoyance turned out to be Dutch for "whipped cream".
The airport has a casino, which I stayed well clear of preferring to keep my cash, and at the time of flying also an art exhibition featuring paintings by the Brueghel family of artists, who are apparently quite well known if you're Dutch and into art.
I set off again for a quick stopover in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, to pick up the final passengers set for Doha. An Arab family boarded the plane. The father was sporting a jet-black beard and a gleaming white dishdasha, and the elder son was similarly attired with a wispy bumfluff moustache which I found quite amusing. The women, presumably his wives and/or daughters, followed dressed in black burqas and they were followed in turn by throng of happy looking children, dressed in simple jeans and t-shirts and as yet unencumbered by the strict Saudi dress code of their elders.
The culture shock was complete when the Dutch air-hostesses, a spirted bunch who had teased me for most of the flight for trying to pay for the complimentary alcohol (who knew!), arrived with complimentary toys for the children.
"Santa Clause is here," said one of the air-hostesses, apparently unaware of her cultural faux pas.
I don't think Saint Nick would be too welcome round these parts!
at Amsterdam Schipol Airport-Dammam-Doha
19 November 2009
Set off for Doha in the early hours of this morning, with a five hour stopover at Amsterdam Schipol Airport. Having never been to Amsterdam, but heard many a story from my reprobate friends, I was disappointed to find the airport devoid of strippers. I did, however, find the "slag room", which much to my annoyance turned out to be Dutch for "whipped cream".
The airport has a casino, which I stayed well clear of preferring to keep my cash, and at the time of flying also an art exhibition featuring paintings by the Brueghel family of artists, who are apparently quite well known if you're Dutch and into art.
I set off again for a quick stopover in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, to pick up the final passengers set for Doha. An Arab family boarded the plane. The father was sporting a jet-black beard and a gleaming white dishdasha, and the elder son was similarly attired with a wispy bumfluff moustache which I found quite amusing. The women, presumably his wives and/or daughters, followed dressed in black burqas and they were followed in turn by throng of happy looking children, dressed in simple jeans and t-shirts and as yet unencumbered by the strict Saudi dress code of their elders.
The culture shock was complete when the Dutch air-hostesses, a spirted bunch who had teased me for most of the flight for trying to pay for the complimentary alcohol (who knew!), arrived with complimentary toys for the children.
"Santa Clause is here," said one of the air-hostesses, apparently unaware of her cultural faux pas.
I don't think Saint Nick would be too welcome round these parts!
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
HOLIDAY
I'm off to Doha for the next two and a half weeks and will not be blogging...unless I can sneak in a cheeky update or two.
FEATURE: The Most Stylish Woman in Edinburgh?
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
17 November 2009
This article is proof that could make a Grazia style writer one day. After the week I've had putting corsages on Christmas trees and writing about handbags I really need some beer, steak and football.
SHE'S living proof that it can pay to get dressed to the nines for an afternoon stroll.
When Megan Cunningham pulled on her leather-look leggings, strappy shoes and exclusive Alexander McQueen scarf for an afternoon's shopping on Princes Street, she turned some very influential heads.
The 20-year-old hairdressers' receptionist from Morningside has just been voted one of Britain's most stylish women, following a chance encounter with women's magazine Grazia.
The glossy sent a team of "style hunters" to 11 UK cities in August, and Edinburgh hunters were won over by Megan's bold but understated style.
Megan, who works at Cheynes hairdressers in Bruntsfield, said: "It was completely random. They just came up to me and started asking questions about my look, and taking some photographs.
"I thought it was just market research but I was surprised when they called me two months later and said I'd made it through to the regional finals of a competition and had to get people to vote for me.
"I didn't expect to win. People always say that while I look really glamorous I wear too much black, but I think it looks good on me."
The former James Gillespie's girl was inspired by her mum Donna, 46, a Standard Life receptionist, particularly in the shoulder-padded Warehouse top she was sporting on the day.
She said: "I love shoulder pads. I used to laugh at pictures of my mum in the 1980s but they're totally back in fashion.
"The rest of my outfit was quite simple.
I like to call the bag I'm carrying 'vintage Warehouse' because I bought it so long ago but I still use it all the time.
"I did get some really negative comments on the website about the leggings. A lot of people said they looked trashy and cheapened the outfit, but everyone's got different tastes, I suppose.
"While most of her outfit is high street fashion, the genuine Alexander McQueen scarf would normally set you back more than £350.
Megan added: "My cousin brought it back from the States. It was only £120."
The 11 winners of the first Grazia Style Hunter Awards are featured in today's Grazia.
Grazia's Editor-in-chief Jane Bruton said: "We were overwhelmed by the number of super-stylish women we discovered and Megan is an outstanding and well-deserved winner."
Edinburgh Evening News
17 November 2009
This article is proof that could make a Grazia style writer one day. After the week I've had putting corsages on Christmas trees and writing about handbags I really need some beer, steak and football.
SHE'S living proof that it can pay to get dressed to the nines for an afternoon stroll.
When Megan Cunningham pulled on her leather-look leggings, strappy shoes and exclusive Alexander McQueen scarf for an afternoon's shopping on Princes Street, she turned some very influential heads.
The 20-year-old hairdressers' receptionist from Morningside has just been voted one of Britain's most stylish women, following a chance encounter with women's magazine Grazia.
The glossy sent a team of "style hunters" to 11 UK cities in August, and Edinburgh hunters were won over by Megan's bold but understated style.
Megan, who works at Cheynes hairdressers in Bruntsfield, said: "It was completely random. They just came up to me and started asking questions about my look, and taking some photographs.
"I thought it was just market research but I was surprised when they called me two months later and said I'd made it through to the regional finals of a competition and had to get people to vote for me.
"I didn't expect to win. People always say that while I look really glamorous I wear too much black, but I think it looks good on me."
The former James Gillespie's girl was inspired by her mum Donna, 46, a Standard Life receptionist, particularly in the shoulder-padded Warehouse top she was sporting on the day.
She said: "I love shoulder pads. I used to laugh at pictures of my mum in the 1980s but they're totally back in fashion.
"The rest of my outfit was quite simple.
I like to call the bag I'm carrying 'vintage Warehouse' because I bought it so long ago but I still use it all the time.
"I did get some really negative comments on the website about the leggings. A lot of people said they looked trashy and cheapened the outfit, but everyone's got different tastes, I suppose.
"While most of her outfit is high street fashion, the genuine Alexander McQueen scarf would normally set you back more than £350.
Megan added: "My cousin brought it back from the States. It was only £120."
The 11 winners of the first Grazia Style Hunter Awards are featured in today's Grazia.
Grazia's Editor-in-chief Jane Bruton said: "We were overwhelmed by the number of super-stylish women we discovered and Megan is an outstanding and well-deserved winner."
Monday, 16 November 2009
NEWS: The House Price Rollercoaster
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
16 November 2009
Treat everything here with a pinch of salt. These house price surveys are ten a penny, and usually barely worth banking a penny on
HOUSE prices in Edinburgh have fallen by nearly 12 per cent in the last three months, it was revealed today.
The Capital's poor performance came as a surprise and goes against the trend of a modest house price recovery in the rest of Scotland, which has seen the average cost of home rise by 0.7 per cent in the last quarter.
The average home in Scotland now costs £153,605, compared with £152,561 three months ago, according to figures contained in the latest Scottish House Price Monitor by Lloyds TSB.
The report said: "Scottish house prices have stopped falling and have begun to increase. However, price movements in the latest quarter are particularly volatile."
Nowhere has this volatility been more apparent than in Edinburgh.
Despite the 12 per cent drop, Edinburgh house prices remain the most expensive in Scotland, with the average price of a home in the city costing £197,018.
Leslie Deans, senior partner in Leslie Deans & Co estate agents, acknowledged the number of houses being sold in Edinburgh had fallen steeply in the economic downturn, but said the picture on the ground looked slightly different from the figures contained in the report.
He said: "The ESPC's [Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre] latest report indicated that Edinburgh house prices have actually stabilised following the recent difficulties so the Lloyds TSB report is running slightly contrary to that.
" Edinburgh was starting from a higher point than the majority of the country and I'm seeing Edinburgh house prices hardening again.
"I'm seeing greater demand. There are more buyers about and more transactions happening. The length of time taken to sell a house is also shortening."
Mr Deans said he had also seen evidence of Edinburgh buyers rushing through transactions before a change in stamp duty rules on December 31.
He added: "Stamp duty is currently only payable on properties of £175,000, but as of next month they will be payable on properties over £125,000, so I've seen evidence of buyers getting their skates on to close the deal before this rule takes effect.
"All of these factors means that from our point of view the activity level has been quite high.
"However, I wouldn't say things are going well for us just yet.
"Edinburgh property transactions by volume dropped considerably in the downturn and have to bounce back to anywhere near the pre-downturn levels.
"While things have improved over the last six months there's still a bit to go yet."
There were marked differences in price changes across the country, with rises in some areas and falls in others.
Aberdeen saw the biggest rise, with prices going up 13.4 per cent in the last quarter, and the north of Scotland as a whole experiencing a positive trend.
In Glasgow, however, prices fell by 9.8 per cent.
The north, excluding Aberdeen, has seen a 6.9 per cent rise, and the south-east, excluding Edinburgh, saw house prices go up by 2.7 per cent.
The 0.7 per cent increase in the latest quarter follows a fall of 1.4 per cent in the previous quarter and a drop of 4.3 per cent in the quarter before that.
Edinburgh Evening News
16 November 2009
Treat everything here with a pinch of salt. These house price surveys are ten a penny, and usually barely worth banking a penny on
HOUSE prices in Edinburgh have fallen by nearly 12 per cent in the last three months, it was revealed today.
The Capital's poor performance came as a surprise and goes against the trend of a modest house price recovery in the rest of Scotland, which has seen the average cost of home rise by 0.7 per cent in the last quarter.
The average home in Scotland now costs £153,605, compared with £152,561 three months ago, according to figures contained in the latest Scottish House Price Monitor by Lloyds TSB.
The report said: "Scottish house prices have stopped falling and have begun to increase. However, price movements in the latest quarter are particularly volatile."
Nowhere has this volatility been more apparent than in Edinburgh.
Despite the 12 per cent drop, Edinburgh house prices remain the most expensive in Scotland, with the average price of a home in the city costing £197,018.
Leslie Deans, senior partner in Leslie Deans & Co estate agents, acknowledged the number of houses being sold in Edinburgh had fallen steeply in the economic downturn, but said the picture on the ground looked slightly different from the figures contained in the report.
He said: "The ESPC's [Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre] latest report indicated that Edinburgh house prices have actually stabilised following the recent difficulties so the Lloyds TSB report is running slightly contrary to that.
" Edinburgh was starting from a higher point than the majority of the country and I'm seeing Edinburgh house prices hardening again.
"I'm seeing greater demand. There are more buyers about and more transactions happening. The length of time taken to sell a house is also shortening."
Mr Deans said he had also seen evidence of Edinburgh buyers rushing through transactions before a change in stamp duty rules on December 31.
He added: "Stamp duty is currently only payable on properties of £175,000, but as of next month they will be payable on properties over £125,000, so I've seen evidence of buyers getting their skates on to close the deal before this rule takes effect.
"All of these factors means that from our point of view the activity level has been quite high.
"However, I wouldn't say things are going well for us just yet.
"Edinburgh property transactions by volume dropped considerably in the downturn and have to bounce back to anywhere near the pre-downturn levels.
"While things have improved over the last six months there's still a bit to go yet."
There were marked differences in price changes across the country, with rises in some areas and falls in others.
Aberdeen saw the biggest rise, with prices going up 13.4 per cent in the last quarter, and the north of Scotland as a whole experiencing a positive trend.
In Glasgow, however, prices fell by 9.8 per cent.
The north, excluding Aberdeen, has seen a 6.9 per cent rise, and the south-east, excluding Edinburgh, saw house prices go up by 2.7 per cent.
The 0.7 per cent increase in the latest quarter follows a fall of 1.4 per cent in the previous quarter and a drop of 4.3 per cent in the quarter before that.
FEATURE: The One To Watch for 2010?
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
14 November 2009
IT WASN'T exactly the most auspicious of starts to what Alex Gardner is hoping will be a glittering pop career. Within weeks of leaving his native Edinburgh for the bright lights of London last year, he'd been mugged, was living off beans and was desperately searching for a job.
But then his luck changed thanks to a curious invitation. "I was invited to the house where Alice In Wonderland was written," recalls 18-year-old singer Alex, a former Edinburgh Academy pupil who is being tipped as the music industry's one to watch in 2010.
The invitation came via a band Alex had auditioned for, but he had little idea what he was letting himself in for.
"I was bit apprehensive about being invited to this strange house in the country, but I did my research and found it belonged to pop producer Brian Higgins."
The Kent mansion is the former home of Alice Liddell Hargrieves, the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's children's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but its present owner is no stranger to spreading a bit of magic himself.
Higgins' production house Xenomania has produced tracks for Sugababes, Girls Aloud, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Dannii and Kylie Minogue, Cher, Saint Etienne and now Alex, who is preparing for launch as Higgins' next pop wunderkind.
The passage from Edinburgh to Wonderland has been very short indeed for Alex, whose parents Richard, a solicitor with Drummond Miller, and commercial promoter Janet Gardner still live in Davidson's Mains.
"I left Edinburgh Academy at 16," says Alex.
"I saved up enough money for five months' rent in London and went for it. I had no idea what I was going to do but I was looking for something creative.
My parents were a bit sceptical to say the least."
And his parents' fears were quickly realised. Returning to his Paddington flat with two friends in his first week, they were mugged by six armed men. "They surrounded us and told us they were armed with knives so we gave them everything," says Alex.
"They took all my jewellery and a small amount of cash. One of the other guys was marched to a cash machine and told to enter his pin and they cleared him out."
It was a brutal introduction to the big city, but Alex soon settled in and began looking for work. He spotted an advert for a band and went for an audition. I really didn't fit in. They were twice my age with guitars and all I had was my voice, but we did a couple of songs and then I asked them to record one of my own.
"A few months later I got invited up to the mansion to meet Brian. He told me he had listened to my tape and realised I wasn't right for the band . . . which was a bit of a blow. But then he said I'd do better as a solo act. I was over the moon."
For the last year Alex has been going back to the mansion to write songs with Higgins.
"Although we're writing together, Brian always insists the songs are drawn from my own experiences, so most of them are about girls," says Alex.
Alex has now signed a worldwide record deal with Universal/A&M Records and has just completed a short tour with Paolo Nutini. And last night he played a homecoming show at Cabaret Voltaire in front of all of the friends and family he's been missing.
"The only song I've written that's not about a girl is about Edinburgh," he says. "It's called Where Were You? and it's a message to all my friends not to forget me."
For more info, visit www. myspace.com/alexgardermusic
Edinburgh Evening News
14 November 2009
IT WASN'T exactly the most auspicious of starts to what Alex Gardner is hoping will be a glittering pop career. Within weeks of leaving his native Edinburgh for the bright lights of London last year, he'd been mugged, was living off beans and was desperately searching for a job.
But then his luck changed thanks to a curious invitation. "I was invited to the house where Alice In Wonderland was written," recalls 18-year-old singer Alex, a former Edinburgh Academy pupil who is being tipped as the music industry's one to watch in 2010.
The invitation came via a band Alex had auditioned for, but he had little idea what he was letting himself in for.
"I was bit apprehensive about being invited to this strange house in the country, but I did my research and found it belonged to pop producer Brian Higgins."
The Kent mansion is the former home of Alice Liddell Hargrieves, the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's children's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but its present owner is no stranger to spreading a bit of magic himself.
Higgins' production house Xenomania has produced tracks for Sugababes, Girls Aloud, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Dannii and Kylie Minogue, Cher, Saint Etienne and now Alex, who is preparing for launch as Higgins' next pop wunderkind.
The passage from Edinburgh to Wonderland has been very short indeed for Alex, whose parents Richard, a solicitor with Drummond Miller, and commercial promoter Janet Gardner still live in Davidson's Mains.
"I left Edinburgh Academy at 16," says Alex.
"I saved up enough money for five months' rent in London and went for it. I had no idea what I was going to do but I was looking for something creative.
My parents were a bit sceptical to say the least."
And his parents' fears were quickly realised. Returning to his Paddington flat with two friends in his first week, they were mugged by six armed men. "They surrounded us and told us they were armed with knives so we gave them everything," says Alex.
"They took all my jewellery and a small amount of cash. One of the other guys was marched to a cash machine and told to enter his pin and they cleared him out."
It was a brutal introduction to the big city, but Alex soon settled in and began looking for work. He spotted an advert for a band and went for an audition. I really didn't fit in. They were twice my age with guitars and all I had was my voice, but we did a couple of songs and then I asked them to record one of my own.
"A few months later I got invited up to the mansion to meet Brian. He told me he had listened to my tape and realised I wasn't right for the band . . . which was a bit of a blow. But then he said I'd do better as a solo act. I was over the moon."
For the last year Alex has been going back to the mansion to write songs with Higgins.
"Although we're writing together, Brian always insists the songs are drawn from my own experiences, so most of them are about girls," says Alex.
Alex has now signed a worldwide record deal with Universal/A&M Records and has just completed a short tour with Paolo Nutini. And last night he played a homecoming show at Cabaret Voltaire in front of all of the friends and family he's been missing.
"The only song I've written that's not about a girl is about Edinburgh," he says. "It's called Where Were You? and it's a message to all my friends not to forget me."
For more info, visit www. myspace.com/alexgardermusic
FEATURE: Gift Wrapping Boot Camp
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
13 November 2009
This was genuninely the most stressful story I've written this year. Despite an intense gift wrapping boot camp I'll still be mummifying my mum's perfume
'NOOOO!" shrieks the elegant woman as she pulls my fingers away before they and the sticky tape I'm holding can do any damage.
We are in Jenners, that grand dame of retailing in Edinburgh, and I'm brandishing a large strip of Sellotape, which could cause trouble if I was about to stick it on a designer mohair jumper, but as I'm wrapping a Christmas present, it's not the reaction I'd expect.
Mummifying my mum's bottle of perfume with Sellotape has always been part of my traditional festive build-up. I think I'd describe my method of gift- wrapping as "abstract".
Apparently, too much sticky tape isn't just a festive faux pas though, as Jane Hardie, of Jenners' gift wrapping service, explains: "One of the major sins of gift wrapping is covering your nicely folded paper in ugly strips of Sellotape."
A sin? Yikes! Well, Christmas is all about religion, I suppose, so I'd better listen up.
I'm in Jenners because the store is offering Christmas master-classes for anyone that doesn't know their bows from their baubles. The focus is firmly on all things festive and shoppers can learn how to dress the perfect dinner table, decorate the perfect tree, cook the perfect turkey, wrap a wonderful gift and how to dress to impress as the perfect host or hostess.
It seems it's the male of the species who may benefit the most from such expert advice.
"Men's lack of Christmas decoration skills probably stems from their student or bachelor days," explains Jenners' visual merchandiser Ewan Carmichael as he places an ornate golden corsage in the centre of his beautifully decorated tree.
"When you're a young guy you don't tend to bother with all the frills of Christmas as long as you've got a couple of cans of lager in the fridge, but it can pay off knowing how to spruce the place up in time for Christmas.
"It could be a chance to impress the new girlfriend and show off your sensitive side by bringing her home to a flat with a well decorated tree, a well set table and presenting her with beautifully wrapped presents."
So learning where to place my baubles could improve my pulling power? Hmmm.
But first there's that present to finish. "Gift wrapping isn't just something to throw round your presents like chip paper. They've got to sit in your living room for a couple of weeks in the run-up to Christmas so you want them to look nice," says Jane, as I learn to disguise that sinful sticky tape - double-sided is best but you can fold a piece of ordinary tape over to stick down the edges.
I didn't mention that I generally use a ready-made bow with more dreaded Sellotape when Jane moves on to the ribbon.
"I've been to crime scenes that have been less stressful," I tell Jane as I tie myself in more knots than the bow as I try to create something presentable. I think I've pulled it off.
"Beautiful," says Jane, to my visible relief - but my work is not yet done. I've got the Christmas tree to decorate now.
"Decorating the tree is not as straightforward as some people think," he tells me. Great!
"The first thing that goes on is the lights and it's important to start from the bottom and work your way up. A common mistake is starting from the top and finding that you've run out of wire half way down the tree." I want to ask what happens if you run out of wire halfway up the tree. But I don't.
"Also, the choice of lights is quite important. If you have a tree in the lounge you're not going to want dazzling flashing lights in the corner of the room as this could easily get on your nerves by the time Christmas arrives, so you might want something more subtle.
"On the other hand, if you keep your tree in the hall you might want something a bit more flashy to impress the visitors when they arrive."
Jenners has a Christmas tree starter pack for around GBP 80 that has everything you need to get your first stars and baubles on the tree, but it can take years to build up a decent collection of decorations.
"The most important thing is to personalise your tree," adds Ewan. "You don't just want an identikit tree that you would see in a shop window."
With that advice in mind I set about decorating my tree - a 6ft artificial pine.
Within half an hour my lights are twinkling, my baubles and white roses are in position and my golden corsage has pride of place at the front.
"That's not a bad job," said Ewan. "You've still got one decorative white rose left though. Perhaps you could wear it in your hair on Christmas morning?" Perhaps not, Ewan.
Christmas, Jenners-style, two-thirds done. I just had the Christmas table to tackle, which is always a challenge.
"You should always make room for everything you need at the Christmas table because the last thing you want to do in the middle of Christmas dinner is keep getting up to fetch things," said visual merchandiser Ruth Kennedy.
"This is where a centrepiece can serve a really useful purpose. Some people might think the centrepiece is just there to be decorative, but what it's actually doing is saving the space for the food to arrive.
"When the turkey is ready the centrepiece is removed and the bird and trimmings take pride of place at the centre of the table."
"Overall," she adds, "it's important to keep all of the colours matching or complimentary, with reds and greens the traditional colours of Christmas."
I get the impression my safe default attire of "all black" won't cut it as a Christmas colour scheme, which is a shame as I could have saved myself even more time by keeping the Hallowe'en decor up.
So, having invested in some festive red and green tablecloths, I'm now fully prepared for an elegant and tastefully decorated Christmas. All I need is a guest list - sadly something Jenners can't help me with.
Oh well, there's always a catch.
Top Ten Tips
1 Arrange the tree lights from the bottom up to ensure you've got enough length to reach the socket.
2 Start with the biggest tree baubles first andwork downto fill in all of the empty gaps.
3 Don't be afraid to personalise your tree with tasteful homemade baubles.
4 Have a sharp pair of scissors to hand on gift-wrapping day.
5 Size your paper first before you start to wrap.
6 Keep your folds neat andmake a quarter-inch seamon rough edges to keep them straight.
7 Use double sided or folded tape to stick your folds on the inside. Never cover your parcel in tape.
8 Use matching colour-schemes for your Christmas table-cloths and napkins.
9 Cover mismatched chairs with matching material, bows and ribbons to give them a uniform feel.
10 Create or invest in a Christmas centrepiece to put on the table
Edinburgh Evening News
13 November 2009
This was genuninely the most stressful story I've written this year. Despite an intense gift wrapping boot camp I'll still be mummifying my mum's perfume
'NOOOO!" shrieks the elegant woman as she pulls my fingers away before they and the sticky tape I'm holding can do any damage.
We are in Jenners, that grand dame of retailing in Edinburgh, and I'm brandishing a large strip of Sellotape, which could cause trouble if I was about to stick it on a designer mohair jumper, but as I'm wrapping a Christmas present, it's not the reaction I'd expect.
Mummifying my mum's bottle of perfume with Sellotape has always been part of my traditional festive build-up. I think I'd describe my method of gift- wrapping as "abstract".
Apparently, too much sticky tape isn't just a festive faux pas though, as Jane Hardie, of Jenners' gift wrapping service, explains: "One of the major sins of gift wrapping is covering your nicely folded paper in ugly strips of Sellotape."
A sin? Yikes! Well, Christmas is all about religion, I suppose, so I'd better listen up.
I'm in Jenners because the store is offering Christmas master-classes for anyone that doesn't know their bows from their baubles. The focus is firmly on all things festive and shoppers can learn how to dress the perfect dinner table, decorate the perfect tree, cook the perfect turkey, wrap a wonderful gift and how to dress to impress as the perfect host or hostess.
It seems it's the male of the species who may benefit the most from such expert advice.
"Men's lack of Christmas decoration skills probably stems from their student or bachelor days," explains Jenners' visual merchandiser Ewan Carmichael as he places an ornate golden corsage in the centre of his beautifully decorated tree.
"When you're a young guy you don't tend to bother with all the frills of Christmas as long as you've got a couple of cans of lager in the fridge, but it can pay off knowing how to spruce the place up in time for Christmas.
"It could be a chance to impress the new girlfriend and show off your sensitive side by bringing her home to a flat with a well decorated tree, a well set table and presenting her with beautifully wrapped presents."
So learning where to place my baubles could improve my pulling power? Hmmm.
But first there's that present to finish. "Gift wrapping isn't just something to throw round your presents like chip paper. They've got to sit in your living room for a couple of weeks in the run-up to Christmas so you want them to look nice," says Jane, as I learn to disguise that sinful sticky tape - double-sided is best but you can fold a piece of ordinary tape over to stick down the edges.
I didn't mention that I generally use a ready-made bow with more dreaded Sellotape when Jane moves on to the ribbon.
"I've been to crime scenes that have been less stressful," I tell Jane as I tie myself in more knots than the bow as I try to create something presentable. I think I've pulled it off.
"Beautiful," says Jane, to my visible relief - but my work is not yet done. I've got the Christmas tree to decorate now.
"Decorating the tree is not as straightforward as some people think," he tells me. Great!
"The first thing that goes on is the lights and it's important to start from the bottom and work your way up. A common mistake is starting from the top and finding that you've run out of wire half way down the tree." I want to ask what happens if you run out of wire halfway up the tree. But I don't.
"Also, the choice of lights is quite important. If you have a tree in the lounge you're not going to want dazzling flashing lights in the corner of the room as this could easily get on your nerves by the time Christmas arrives, so you might want something more subtle.
"On the other hand, if you keep your tree in the hall you might want something a bit more flashy to impress the visitors when they arrive."
Jenners has a Christmas tree starter pack for around GBP 80 that has everything you need to get your first stars and baubles on the tree, but it can take years to build up a decent collection of decorations.
"The most important thing is to personalise your tree," adds Ewan. "You don't just want an identikit tree that you would see in a shop window."
With that advice in mind I set about decorating my tree - a 6ft artificial pine.
Within half an hour my lights are twinkling, my baubles and white roses are in position and my golden corsage has pride of place at the front.
"That's not a bad job," said Ewan. "You've still got one decorative white rose left though. Perhaps you could wear it in your hair on Christmas morning?" Perhaps not, Ewan.
Christmas, Jenners-style, two-thirds done. I just had the Christmas table to tackle, which is always a challenge.
"You should always make room for everything you need at the Christmas table because the last thing you want to do in the middle of Christmas dinner is keep getting up to fetch things," said visual merchandiser Ruth Kennedy.
"This is where a centrepiece can serve a really useful purpose. Some people might think the centrepiece is just there to be decorative, but what it's actually doing is saving the space for the food to arrive.
"When the turkey is ready the centrepiece is removed and the bird and trimmings take pride of place at the centre of the table."
"Overall," she adds, "it's important to keep all of the colours matching or complimentary, with reds and greens the traditional colours of Christmas."
I get the impression my safe default attire of "all black" won't cut it as a Christmas colour scheme, which is a shame as I could have saved myself even more time by keeping the Hallowe'en decor up.
So, having invested in some festive red and green tablecloths, I'm now fully prepared for an elegant and tastefully decorated Christmas. All I need is a guest list - sadly something Jenners can't help me with.
Oh well, there's always a catch.
Top Ten Tips
1 Arrange the tree lights from the bottom up to ensure you've got enough length to reach the socket.
2 Start with the biggest tree baubles first andwork downto fill in all of the empty gaps.
3 Don't be afraid to personalise your tree with tasteful homemade baubles.
4 Have a sharp pair of scissors to hand on gift-wrapping day.
5 Size your paper first before you start to wrap.
6 Keep your folds neat andmake a quarter-inch seamon rough edges to keep them straight.
7 Use double sided or folded tape to stick your folds on the inside. Never cover your parcel in tape.
8 Use matching colour-schemes for your Christmas table-cloths and napkins.
9 Cover mismatched chairs with matching material, bows and ribbons to give them a uniform feel.
10 Create or invest in a Christmas centrepiece to put on the table
Thursday, 12 November 2009
NEWS: NATO Vs The Anti-Militarist Network: The final countdown
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
11 November 2009
ANTI-WAR protesters are threatening to bring chaos to Edinburgh as they demonstrate at a major Nato summit later this week.
Two large-scale rallies are being planned to mark the visit of the Nato Parliamentary Assembly – a five-day meeting of MPs, military commanders, academics and civil servants at the EICC.
The protests will be the largest seen in the city since the G8, and it is understood police are concerned about the possibility of extremists "infiltrating" the largely peaceful demonstrations.
The events coincide with Scotland's rugby clash with Fiji at Murrayfield on Saturday, making the West End a virtual no-go area.
The weekend's protests include a "direct action" rally under the name The Nato Welcoming Committee on Friday, and a second rally by the Edinburgh Stop The War Coalition on Saturday.
The Nato Welcoming Committee has pledged to "shut down" the meeting on the first day and is keeping its movements a secret until the day of the protest, when activists will be mobilised by text.
Meanwhile, the Edinburgh Stop The War Coalition are up in arms after being told they cannot march past the conference centre.
Pat Smith, of Edinburgh Stop the War, said: "We agreed to move the march forward to 10:30am on the understanding that we could still march past the EICC.
"However, despite this, the police have still said we cannot march past the assembly's front door because of safety concerns. We believe the new location at Semple Street will be a bigger safety hazard as it is a smaller street and people could be crushed.
"Police also said they were worried about people 'infiltrating' our march, and the direct action march by the Anti-Militarist Network on Friday, with a view to causing violence."
Chief Inspector Allison Strachan, who will be managing the police presence, said the force was confident the protesters would be peaceful but that more officers than normal would be on the streets. She said: "We expect trouble-free protests, gatherings and marches and have no reason to expect otherwise.
"There will be a police operation in place and we are very keen for any groups who are going to get their message across to get in touch with police beforehand."
She explained that due to increased numbers of marchers, plus the presence of rugby fans, Morrison Street would have to be closed off.
She said: "From a safety point of view there will be many groups around on the day. To make sure no damage or disruption occurs we will close the road in the name of public safety. We hope the protesters respect our decision."
BEHIND THE ASSEMBLY'S DOORS
INSIDE the Nato Parliamentary Assembly, members will be debating issues including the war in Afghanistan and security in Pakistan.
There will be speeches by General Sir Peter Wall, commander-in-chief of the UK's land forces, and Admiral James Stavridis, supreme allied commander in Europe.
St Andrews University professor of Iranian history Ali Ansari will explain the threats posed by the Islamic republic and its current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Frank Cook, an MP who tried to claim £5 expenses for a church collection in remembrance of the Battle of Britain, will present a resolution on "Nato's enduring commitment to Afghanistan".
Edinburgh Evening News
11 November 2009
ANTI-WAR protesters are threatening to bring chaos to Edinburgh as they demonstrate at a major Nato summit later this week.
Two large-scale rallies are being planned to mark the visit of the Nato Parliamentary Assembly – a five-day meeting of MPs, military commanders, academics and civil servants at the EICC.
The protests will be the largest seen in the city since the G8, and it is understood police are concerned about the possibility of extremists "infiltrating" the largely peaceful demonstrations.
The events coincide with Scotland's rugby clash with Fiji at Murrayfield on Saturday, making the West End a virtual no-go area.
The weekend's protests include a "direct action" rally under the name The Nato Welcoming Committee on Friday, and a second rally by the Edinburgh Stop The War Coalition on Saturday.
The Nato Welcoming Committee has pledged to "shut down" the meeting on the first day and is keeping its movements a secret until the day of the protest, when activists will be mobilised by text.
Meanwhile, the Edinburgh Stop The War Coalition are up in arms after being told they cannot march past the conference centre.
Pat Smith, of Edinburgh Stop the War, said: "We agreed to move the march forward to 10:30am on the understanding that we could still march past the EICC.
"However, despite this, the police have still said we cannot march past the assembly's front door because of safety concerns. We believe the new location at Semple Street will be a bigger safety hazard as it is a smaller street and people could be crushed.
"Police also said they were worried about people 'infiltrating' our march, and the direct action march by the Anti-Militarist Network on Friday, with a view to causing violence."
Chief Inspector Allison Strachan, who will be managing the police presence, said the force was confident the protesters would be peaceful but that more officers than normal would be on the streets. She said: "We expect trouble-free protests, gatherings and marches and have no reason to expect otherwise.
"There will be a police operation in place and we are very keen for any groups who are going to get their message across to get in touch with police beforehand."
She explained that due to increased numbers of marchers, plus the presence of rugby fans, Morrison Street would have to be closed off.
She said: "From a safety point of view there will be many groups around on the day. To make sure no damage or disruption occurs we will close the road in the name of public safety. We hope the protesters respect our decision."
BEHIND THE ASSEMBLY'S DOORS
INSIDE the Nato Parliamentary Assembly, members will be debating issues including the war in Afghanistan and security in Pakistan.
There will be speeches by General Sir Peter Wall, commander-in-chief of the UK's land forces, and Admiral James Stavridis, supreme allied commander in Europe.
St Andrews University professor of Iranian history Ali Ansari will explain the threats posed by the Islamic republic and its current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Frank Cook, an MP who tried to claim £5 expenses for a church collection in remembrance of the Battle of Britain, will present a resolution on "Nato's enduring commitment to Afghanistan".
READING: Warren, All The King's Men
Robert Penn Warren
All The King's Men
1946
A beautifully constructed Pulitzer Prize winning portrait of American politics and corruption. Governer Willie Stark is almost a premonition of Nixon a full 20 years before he rose to power and a quarter decade before his fall (partly through the work of this book's near namesake).
Every page is poetry, every character fully described. Penn Warren's language brings the book's American South setting alive, and allows Willie Stark to seduce you though his actions are so abhorrant, and in this way Penn Warren created a wholly believable politician.
Favourite Stark quote, "There's something on everybody. Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud."
I wonder if Nixon had this in mind when he sent out his "ratfuckers".
All The King's Men
1946
A beautifully constructed Pulitzer Prize winning portrait of American politics and corruption. Governer Willie Stark is almost a premonition of Nixon a full 20 years before he rose to power and a quarter decade before his fall (partly through the work of this book's near namesake).
Every page is poetry, every character fully described. Penn Warren's language brings the book's American South setting alive, and allows Willie Stark to seduce you though his actions are so abhorrant, and in this way Penn Warren created a wholly believable politician.
Favourite Stark quote, "There's something on everybody. Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud."
I wonder if Nixon had this in mind when he sent out his "ratfuckers".
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
NEWS: A Death in Spain
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
9 October 2009
THE family of a young father who was killed by a car in Spain are demanding a fresh inquiry following evidence that he may have been attacked and robbed before his death.
Moredun roofer Thomas Patterson, 21, was killed on a dual carriageway near the coast at Playa Flamenca, in Alicante, in July.
Police ruled that Mr Patterson, father of an 18-month-old son, Thomas James, was killed in an accident involving a single driver, who was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Mr Patterson's mother, Agnes, 52, wants Spanish police to reinvestigate the case, but fears they will never discover the truth of what happened that night.
The family are now backing calls by one of Scotland's most senior judges, former Lord President Lord Cullen, recommending that inquiries are held in Scotland into the deaths of Scots abroad.
Mrs Patterson said today: "The Spanish police just dismissed my son as another British lager lout who died from acting like an idiot abroad.
"When they brought his body home, it was a mess. The undertaker said it looked like he had been hit by a truck going at 100mph, rather than a single car obeying the speed limit.
"However, he had scratches on his knuckles that looked like he had been fighting.
"He also had quite a bit of money on him before he died, following a big win at the bookies that afternoon.
"He should have still had about ¤300 on him, but when police recovered his body, all they found on him were two telephone numbers, for me and his girlfriend Allana."
She added: "We only want to get to the bottom of this so we can lay our boy to rest."
Friends who were with former junior boxing champion Mr Patterson, who was known both as Tam and Top Cat, reported seeing him arguing with an angry mob shortly before he disappeared. He had been just hours into a sunshine break with friends at the time.
He was found at 3:20am on 17 July near the Villa Martin Roundabout, in the coastal region of La Zenia, about a mile from where he had been drinking.
Mrs Patterson is upset that the question of her son's assault was never investigated, and that the driver involved was not breathalysed or questioned in more detail about how Thomas ended up on the road.
A Guardia Civil spokesman said that the driver was not arrested because the victim had crossed the road in an area where pedestrians were banned and he also stopped to help. However, they have yet to explain why Mr Patterson's companions were not interviewed, and why the alleged assault and robbery were never investigated.
Lord Cullen this week recommended an extension to the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths Inquiry (Scotland) Act to empower the Lord Advocate to apply for an FAI into Scottish deaths abroad.
Mrs Patterson added: "If he was killed in similar circumstances in Scotland, the police would have questioned his companions, breathalysed the driver and looked at all of the circumstances leading up to the death, but the Spanish just wrote him off as a drunken lout.
"International FAIs are the only way to make sure that the deaths of Scottish people get investigated properly, wherever they are in the world."
Andrew Mackenzie, secretary to the Review of Fatal Accident Inquiry Legislation, said he could not comment on individual cases.
But he said: "In his report, he recommended that the Lord Advocate should have power to apply for an FAI into the deaths of persons normally resident in Scotland where the body is repatriated to Scotland.
"In reaching a decision, the Lord Advocate would require to consider, for example, whether there had been circumstances that called for investigation, whether there had been a satisfactory investigation and whether there was a prospect of an FAI yielding significant findings."
DIVERSION
THE family of Thomas Patterson told how their grief was multiplied when his body ended up being sent to Birmingham instead of Edinburgh.
Relatives had spent £4,500 paying to bring his body home and were hit with a further bill because of the diversion.
Mum Agnes said the mix-up had added "insult to injury". "His cousins had already paid to bring him home because he was travelling without insurance.
"We had to pay the Edinburgh undertaker £500 to collect him, and then we got a phone call from Spain demanding another 800 euros for sending him to Birmingham.
"I refused to pay them and they haven't been in touch since."
Edinburgh Evening News
9 October 2009
THE family of a young father who was killed by a car in Spain are demanding a fresh inquiry following evidence that he may have been attacked and robbed before his death.
Moredun roofer Thomas Patterson, 21, was killed on a dual carriageway near the coast at Playa Flamenca, in Alicante, in July.
Police ruled that Mr Patterson, father of an 18-month-old son, Thomas James, was killed in an accident involving a single driver, who was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Mr Patterson's mother, Agnes, 52, wants Spanish police to reinvestigate the case, but fears they will never discover the truth of what happened that night.
The family are now backing calls by one of Scotland's most senior judges, former Lord President Lord Cullen, recommending that inquiries are held in Scotland into the deaths of Scots abroad.
Mrs Patterson said today: "The Spanish police just dismissed my son as another British lager lout who died from acting like an idiot abroad.
"When they brought his body home, it was a mess. The undertaker said it looked like he had been hit by a truck going at 100mph, rather than a single car obeying the speed limit.
"However, he had scratches on his knuckles that looked like he had been fighting.
"He also had quite a bit of money on him before he died, following a big win at the bookies that afternoon.
"He should have still had about ¤300 on him, but when police recovered his body, all they found on him were two telephone numbers, for me and his girlfriend Allana."
She added: "We only want to get to the bottom of this so we can lay our boy to rest."
Friends who were with former junior boxing champion Mr Patterson, who was known both as Tam and Top Cat, reported seeing him arguing with an angry mob shortly before he disappeared. He had been just hours into a sunshine break with friends at the time.
He was found at 3:20am on 17 July near the Villa Martin Roundabout, in the coastal region of La Zenia, about a mile from where he had been drinking.
Mrs Patterson is upset that the question of her son's assault was never investigated, and that the driver involved was not breathalysed or questioned in more detail about how Thomas ended up on the road.
A Guardia Civil spokesman said that the driver was not arrested because the victim had crossed the road in an area where pedestrians were banned and he also stopped to help. However, they have yet to explain why Mr Patterson's companions were not interviewed, and why the alleged assault and robbery were never investigated.
Lord Cullen this week recommended an extension to the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths Inquiry (Scotland) Act to empower the Lord Advocate to apply for an FAI into Scottish deaths abroad.
Mrs Patterson added: "If he was killed in similar circumstances in Scotland, the police would have questioned his companions, breathalysed the driver and looked at all of the circumstances leading up to the death, but the Spanish just wrote him off as a drunken lout.
"International FAIs are the only way to make sure that the deaths of Scottish people get investigated properly, wherever they are in the world."
Andrew Mackenzie, secretary to the Review of Fatal Accident Inquiry Legislation, said he could not comment on individual cases.
But he said: "In his report, he recommended that the Lord Advocate should have power to apply for an FAI into the deaths of persons normally resident in Scotland where the body is repatriated to Scotland.
"In reaching a decision, the Lord Advocate would require to consider, for example, whether there had been circumstances that called for investigation, whether there had been a satisfactory investigation and whether there was a prospect of an FAI yielding significant findings."
DIVERSION
THE family of Thomas Patterson told how their grief was multiplied when his body ended up being sent to Birmingham instead of Edinburgh.
Relatives had spent £4,500 paying to bring his body home and were hit with a further bill because of the diversion.
Mum Agnes said the mix-up had added "insult to injury". "His cousins had already paid to bring him home because he was travelling without insurance.
"We had to pay the Edinburgh undertaker £500 to collect him, and then we got a phone call from Spain demanding another 800 euros for sending him to Birmingham.
"I refused to pay them and they haven't been in touch since."
READING: Maupassant, Bel Ami
Guy de Maupassant
Bel Ami
1885
I re-read this after hearing a pretty ropey adaptation on Radio 4 at the weekend. Maupassant's tale of the rise-and-rise of a Parisian journalist who gossips his way into high society is a rare book, if only for the fact that the villain wins out in the end.
However, perhaps the fact that the central villain George Duroy rises through a society of villains contains a deeper message on the corrupt nature of power.
Maupassant's reluctance to knock down his womanising, conniving journalist in the end perhaps stems from his own tortured life. The blurb at the back of my Penguin Classics edition states that at the time of writing Maupassant was "already under a sentence of death from syphilis". Perhaps he found a life of social and sexual debauchery that does not come with any consequences - and indeed positively leads to advancement - very appealing.
There is also a contemporary lesson in Duroy's means of financial advancement, when he cottons on to his editor's plan to manipulate the financial markets by whipping up the fervour for a war in Morocco.
Look how well some companies did when a gang of unscrupulous oil barons connived their way into power and, with the help of some acquiescent media editors, whipped up the fervour for war in another Islamic country recently.
Bel Ami
1885
I re-read this after hearing a pretty ropey adaptation on Radio 4 at the weekend. Maupassant's tale of the rise-and-rise of a Parisian journalist who gossips his way into high society is a rare book, if only for the fact that the villain wins out in the end.
However, perhaps the fact that the central villain George Duroy rises through a society of villains contains a deeper message on the corrupt nature of power.
Maupassant's reluctance to knock down his womanising, conniving journalist in the end perhaps stems from his own tortured life. The blurb at the back of my Penguin Classics edition states that at the time of writing Maupassant was "already under a sentence of death from syphilis". Perhaps he found a life of social and sexual debauchery that does not come with any consequences - and indeed positively leads to advancement - very appealing.
There is also a contemporary lesson in Duroy's means of financial advancement, when he cottons on to his editor's plan to manipulate the financial markets by whipping up the fervour for a war in Morocco.
Look how well some companies did when a gang of unscrupulous oil barons connived their way into power and, with the help of some acquiescent media editors, whipped up the fervour for war in another Islamic country recently.
Thursday, 5 November 2009
NEWS: Fear Cannot Be Caged!
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
5 November 2009
IT STARTED as an innocent teenage romance and ended as many do following an argument over nothing.
But if Emma-Jane Robertson thought that was the last she would hear of ex-boyfriend Brian Nicolson, she was mistaken.
What followed was an incredible chain of events which culminated in 20-year-old Nicolson being sentenced this week to almost four years in prison. He pleaded guilty not only to setting fire to his ex-girlfriend's home but to following it up with chilling threats to Emma-Jane and her family from prison.
The family's ordeal is far from over. Emma-Jane's mother revealed today how threats from suspected associates of Nicolson continue to arrive, leaving them too terrified to stay in their Danderhall home.
It is all a far cry from when Emma-Jane, 20, first fell for Nicolson, who had wooed her with phone calls and texts in 2006.
"We met on the streets of Danderhall," said the former St David's High pupil.
"He was the local milkman, he asked for my number and we started texting, getting to know each other and becoming close."
Things soon took a turn for the worse, however.
"For the first six months he was all right, but over the next two-and-a-half years he tried to rule me.
"When he went out I had to stay home, and we used to argue over which friends I was and wasn't allowed to hang around with."
The relationship finally came to an end in April following a fight at a party in Dunfermline.
"It was just one of our usual arguments but I decided I'd had enough," she said. "I finished with him the following day and everything seemed fine.
"On the Monday he texted me asking if he could come and pick up a pair of jogging bottoms so I invited him round the next day – and that's when he set fire to the place."
On Tuesday, 20 April, neighbours watched as Nicolson arrived at the Robertsons' home in Arthur View Terrace, poured petrol on the mat and set fire to the door before running off.
Emma-Jane, who was inside the house with her mother Marilyn, 48, and friend Bev Shepherd, 19, saw the hall filling with smoke and realised that flames had engulfed their front door. The three terrified women fled out the back door.
Firefighters were on the scene within minutes and extinguished the blaze, but the house was left with serious smoke damage. Nicolson was arrested a few days later and remanded in custody.
However, the Robertsons' nightmare had only just started.
Emma-Jane received seven threatening letters, five sent from Saughton Prison and two postmarked from a local Post Office, warning her what would happen if she testified against him.
In one letter Nicolson warned Emma-Jane: "If you want to, keep going to the police. I'll make sure you and your mum won't make court. I'll be in here so I won't get the blame, so make your choice."
He also wrote saying: "Everyone is asking me if I want you killed, I've said not the now. If you don't come or write back you're going to leave me no choice. I don't want you to lose any of your family, but you know I can make it happen – so get the finger out."
The terrified mother and daughter took the letters straight to the police, and were issued with a panic alarm just in case.
"The police said we should take these threats very seriously," said Emma Jane, gravely.
"They said that you never know who he could have met in prison, and that he may have met people that were willing to hurt us.
"The fact that two of them were posted outside the prison meant that he obviously had someone on the outside that was willing to pass on his threats, and maybe carry them out as well."
While the letters have stopped, Emma-Jane has also received threatening e-mails and Bebo messages from associates of Nicolson. Her brother Scott, 28, and sister Lynn, 26, have also received threats of violence.
The ongoing ordeal has left Emma-Jane's family in turmoil.
He mother told how she had quit her job as a sales assistant and had not been back to work since.
"I'm leaving this house next week and registering myself as homeless because I can't stay here any more," said Marilyn.
"I've barely slept a wink since it happened. I lie awake all night wondering if someone is going to set fire to the house again, or come into the house and kill me.
"I can't sleep without sleeping tablets, and I go to bed every night wondering if I'll ever wake up. At least the sleeping tablets knock me out, so that if someone was to kill me in my sleep I wouldn't know what was happening."
Emma-Jane's friend Bev Shepherd has also been put on medication, is undergoing therapy and has not worked since the fire.
"My boss told me that my presence was a danger to his customers and that he had to let me go," she said.
Emma-Jane insists that despite his controlling nature, Nicolson was never violent towards her and the fireraising attack and the threats came out of the blue.
The court heard how Nicolson, who was working as a plumber in East Lothian at the time of the attacks, was "horrified" by his actions in the aftermath of the break-up and had not intended to harm anyone.
Emma-Jane added: "Even after all this time I can't explain why he did it. Only he knows. It's a mystery to me."
POLICE SATISFIED WITH SENTENCE
LOTHIAN and Borders Police said they were satisfied with Nicolson's sentence and hoped it could as come comfort to Emma-Jane.
A spokesman said: "No-one should be made to live in fear for their safety, so we would urge anyone who receives a threatening letter to report it immediately to police."
A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said it was powerless to prevent criminals sending letters from prison.
He added: "We cannot open and read prisoners' mail under any circumstances.
"If a person is receiving threatening letters from inside the prison then it is a matter for the police."
Edinburgh Evening News
5 November 2009
IT STARTED as an innocent teenage romance and ended as many do following an argument over nothing.
But if Emma-Jane Robertson thought that was the last she would hear of ex-boyfriend Brian Nicolson, she was mistaken.
What followed was an incredible chain of events which culminated in 20-year-old Nicolson being sentenced this week to almost four years in prison. He pleaded guilty not only to setting fire to his ex-girlfriend's home but to following it up with chilling threats to Emma-Jane and her family from prison.
The family's ordeal is far from over. Emma-Jane's mother revealed today how threats from suspected associates of Nicolson continue to arrive, leaving them too terrified to stay in their Danderhall home.
It is all a far cry from when Emma-Jane, 20, first fell for Nicolson, who had wooed her with phone calls and texts in 2006.
"We met on the streets of Danderhall," said the former St David's High pupil.
"He was the local milkman, he asked for my number and we started texting, getting to know each other and becoming close."
Things soon took a turn for the worse, however.
"For the first six months he was all right, but over the next two-and-a-half years he tried to rule me.
"When he went out I had to stay home, and we used to argue over which friends I was and wasn't allowed to hang around with."
The relationship finally came to an end in April following a fight at a party in Dunfermline.
"It was just one of our usual arguments but I decided I'd had enough," she said. "I finished with him the following day and everything seemed fine.
"On the Monday he texted me asking if he could come and pick up a pair of jogging bottoms so I invited him round the next day – and that's when he set fire to the place."
On Tuesday, 20 April, neighbours watched as Nicolson arrived at the Robertsons' home in Arthur View Terrace, poured petrol on the mat and set fire to the door before running off.
Emma-Jane, who was inside the house with her mother Marilyn, 48, and friend Bev Shepherd, 19, saw the hall filling with smoke and realised that flames had engulfed their front door. The three terrified women fled out the back door.
Firefighters were on the scene within minutes and extinguished the blaze, but the house was left with serious smoke damage. Nicolson was arrested a few days later and remanded in custody.
However, the Robertsons' nightmare had only just started.
Emma-Jane received seven threatening letters, five sent from Saughton Prison and two postmarked from a local Post Office, warning her what would happen if she testified against him.
In one letter Nicolson warned Emma-Jane: "If you want to, keep going to the police. I'll make sure you and your mum won't make court. I'll be in here so I won't get the blame, so make your choice."
He also wrote saying: "Everyone is asking me if I want you killed, I've said not the now. If you don't come or write back you're going to leave me no choice. I don't want you to lose any of your family, but you know I can make it happen – so get the finger out."
The terrified mother and daughter took the letters straight to the police, and were issued with a panic alarm just in case.
"The police said we should take these threats very seriously," said Emma Jane, gravely.
"They said that you never know who he could have met in prison, and that he may have met people that were willing to hurt us.
"The fact that two of them were posted outside the prison meant that he obviously had someone on the outside that was willing to pass on his threats, and maybe carry them out as well."
While the letters have stopped, Emma-Jane has also received threatening e-mails and Bebo messages from associates of Nicolson. Her brother Scott, 28, and sister Lynn, 26, have also received threats of violence.
The ongoing ordeal has left Emma-Jane's family in turmoil.
He mother told how she had quit her job as a sales assistant and had not been back to work since.
"I'm leaving this house next week and registering myself as homeless because I can't stay here any more," said Marilyn.
"I've barely slept a wink since it happened. I lie awake all night wondering if someone is going to set fire to the house again, or come into the house and kill me.
"I can't sleep without sleeping tablets, and I go to bed every night wondering if I'll ever wake up. At least the sleeping tablets knock me out, so that if someone was to kill me in my sleep I wouldn't know what was happening."
Emma-Jane's friend Bev Shepherd has also been put on medication, is undergoing therapy and has not worked since the fire.
"My boss told me that my presence was a danger to his customers and that he had to let me go," she said.
Emma-Jane insists that despite his controlling nature, Nicolson was never violent towards her and the fireraising attack and the threats came out of the blue.
The court heard how Nicolson, who was working as a plumber in East Lothian at the time of the attacks, was "horrified" by his actions in the aftermath of the break-up and had not intended to harm anyone.
Emma-Jane added: "Even after all this time I can't explain why he did it. Only he knows. It's a mystery to me."
POLICE SATISFIED WITH SENTENCE
LOTHIAN and Borders Police said they were satisfied with Nicolson's sentence and hoped it could as come comfort to Emma-Jane.
A spokesman said: "No-one should be made to live in fear for their safety, so we would urge anyone who receives a threatening letter to report it immediately to police."
A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said it was powerless to prevent criminals sending letters from prison.
He added: "We cannot open and read prisoners' mail under any circumstances.
"If a person is receiving threatening letters from inside the prison then it is a matter for the police."
SPORT: The (blue) Mark of Kane
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
3 November 2009
FORMER Hibs star Paul Kane today insisted it was business as usual after vandals targeted his Capital pub just three months after he took over.
The Four in Hand on Easter Road had every one of its windows smashed shortly after 4:30am yesterday.
Vandals also covered the outside walls, windows and pavement in blue paint, which could be seen trailing down Easter Road.
The former midfielder, 44, said the attack was a "mystery", but insisted he would not allow any disruption to his new business.
He said: "I got a call at 4:30am when the alarm went off and when I came down the place was secure, so it must have happened after that. I'll have to call my staff and the guy that was on and see what happened, but it's a complete mystery.
He added: "I just want to get everything cleared up and get back to normal – we'll definitely open as usual."
One neighbour, who lives above the pub, said she was shocked by the attack.
She said: "I didn't hear anything but my boyfriend said he was woken up by banging during the night. I can't quite believe it, there's been no trouble or anything before."
The pub is a favourite haunt of Hibs fans, where punters stand a chance of rubbing shoulders with sporting heroes.
Former Hibs stars Pat Stanton and Jimmy O'Rourke have been known to frequent the pub, as well as The Proclaimers.
Hibs legend Stanton, who also managed the club in the early eighties, said the vandalism was "a terrible shame", adding: "The pub is key meeting place for Hibs fans, and fans of any colour, being so close to the ground.
"It a shame for Paul though as he's only had the pub for three months. I'm sorry to hear it's been vandalised."
The pub was previously owned by Kenny McLean Jr, whose father and namesake was the former Hibs vice-chairman who played a leading role in the fight to stop Wallace Mercer buying the club in the 1990s. McLean sold the pub, along with the rest of his Brackens Inns chain, to Caledonian Heritable in 2006.
While the company stayed true to its pledge to maintain it as a Hibs fan pub, Kane's purchase restored its long-standing association with the club.
A police spokesman said: "Police are investigating an incident of vandalism.
"Anyone who witnessed the pub being vandalised should contact police immediately."
Edinburgh Evening News
3 November 2009
FORMER Hibs star Paul Kane today insisted it was business as usual after vandals targeted his Capital pub just three months after he took over.
The Four in Hand on Easter Road had every one of its windows smashed shortly after 4:30am yesterday.
Vandals also covered the outside walls, windows and pavement in blue paint, which could be seen trailing down Easter Road.
The former midfielder, 44, said the attack was a "mystery", but insisted he would not allow any disruption to his new business.
He said: "I got a call at 4:30am when the alarm went off and when I came down the place was secure, so it must have happened after that. I'll have to call my staff and the guy that was on and see what happened, but it's a complete mystery.
He added: "I just want to get everything cleared up and get back to normal – we'll definitely open as usual."
One neighbour, who lives above the pub, said she was shocked by the attack.
She said: "I didn't hear anything but my boyfriend said he was woken up by banging during the night. I can't quite believe it, there's been no trouble or anything before."
The pub is a favourite haunt of Hibs fans, where punters stand a chance of rubbing shoulders with sporting heroes.
Former Hibs stars Pat Stanton and Jimmy O'Rourke have been known to frequent the pub, as well as The Proclaimers.
Hibs legend Stanton, who also managed the club in the early eighties, said the vandalism was "a terrible shame", adding: "The pub is key meeting place for Hibs fans, and fans of any colour, being so close to the ground.
"It a shame for Paul though as he's only had the pub for three months. I'm sorry to hear it's been vandalised."
The pub was previously owned by Kenny McLean Jr, whose father and namesake was the former Hibs vice-chairman who played a leading role in the fight to stop Wallace Mercer buying the club in the 1990s. McLean sold the pub, along with the rest of his Brackens Inns chain, to Caledonian Heritable in 2006.
While the company stayed true to its pledge to maintain it as a Hibs fan pub, Kane's purchase restored its long-standing association with the club.
A police spokesman said: "Police are investigating an incident of vandalism.
"Anyone who witnessed the pub being vandalised should contact police immediately."
READING: Coll, The Bin Ladins
Steve Coll
The Bin Ladins: An Arabian Family in the American Century
2008
With a title like that you would expect the family's cave dwelling, Yank-baiting uber-terrorist to be the star of the show, but Osama is largely eclipsed by his lesser known but equally larger than life elders and siblings.
By far the most enthralling book I've read this year. The level of research is frightening and Coll's style is informal and entertaining, although one would expect nothing less from the former Washington Post and New Yorker staffer.
Each new character is introduced like friends at a party, and some of the Bin Laden's did love to party.
If anyone could be said to stand out from patriarch Mohammed bin Laden's 50 children it would be his eldest son and heir to the Bin Laden empire Salem. Salem is portrayed as charming, funny and worldly. He was the life and soul of the party, with a limited but frequently belted-out repertoir of Western party tunes.
Osama was Mohammed's seventh son and the only child by his tenth wife. His destructive world-view is largely presented through the prism of his fast-deteriorating relationship with the Bin Laden family, which had already been severed before 9/11.
The Bin Ladens themselves remain perpetually in thrall of, and desperate to stay close to, Saudi Arabia's ruling Saudi kings.
Also revealed is the family's complex relationship with aeroplanes (Mohammed and Salem both died in one, Osama killed thousands with two), and there is a bizarre cameo appearance by everyone's favourite Scot Sean Connery.
The Bin Ladins: An Arabian Family in the American Century
2008
With a title like that you would expect the family's cave dwelling, Yank-baiting uber-terrorist to be the star of the show, but Osama is largely eclipsed by his lesser known but equally larger than life elders and siblings.
By far the most enthralling book I've read this year. The level of research is frightening and Coll's style is informal and entertaining, although one would expect nothing less from the former Washington Post and New Yorker staffer.
Each new character is introduced like friends at a party, and some of the Bin Laden's did love to party.
If anyone could be said to stand out from patriarch Mohammed bin Laden's 50 children it would be his eldest son and heir to the Bin Laden empire Salem. Salem is portrayed as charming, funny and worldly. He was the life and soul of the party, with a limited but frequently belted-out repertoir of Western party tunes.
Osama was Mohammed's seventh son and the only child by his tenth wife. His destructive world-view is largely presented through the prism of his fast-deteriorating relationship with the Bin Laden family, which had already been severed before 9/11.
The Bin Ladens themselves remain perpetually in thrall of, and desperate to stay close to, Saudi Arabia's ruling Saudi kings.
Also revealed is the family's complex relationship with aeroplanes (Mohammed and Salem both died in one, Osama killed thousands with two), and there is a bizarre cameo appearance by everyone's favourite Scot Sean Connery.
NEWS: A Woman Of Note
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
2 November 2009
THE memory of Edinburgh's own Florence Nightingale, who fought death in foreign battlefields and inequality at home, is set to live on in your wallet.
Wartime hero and Suffragette Dr Elsie Inglis will feature on Clydesdale Bank's new £50 note, which enters circulation today.
Born in India in 1864, she was brought to the city by her father and attended the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women in its first year of opening.
She set up the Scottish Women's Hospital movement in 1914 and was renowned for her work throughout Europe during the First World War. The movement set up field hospitals in countries including France, Belgium, Serbia, Romania, Greece and Russia, and was credited with saving the lives of many thousands of servicemen.
The release of the £50 note coincides with the 100-year anniversary of the Princes Street Suffrage March, which Elsie Inglis played a significant role in organising.
Janet Fenton, co-ordinator of the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre and organiser of last month's centenary reenactment of the march, said: "We wholeheartedly welcome anything that draws attention to the extremely important work Elsie Inglis did. It's significant that while she worked tirelessly to ease the suffering of the victims of war she was herself a staunch peace activist.
"It's important to remember her efforts to give women the vote, so they now have the power to use their vote in the coming general election to put peace on the agenda in today's troubled times."
The bank note is the second of Clydesdale Bank's new world heritage notes which will be available across the country from 10am.
As well as featuring Elsie Inglis on the front, the £50 note will depict the Roman-built Antonine Wall on the reverse.
Lynne Peacock, chief executive of Clydesdale Bank, said: "Clydesdale Bank's new £50 note reflects the diversity of Scotland's history.
"As a bank we are extremely proud to mark the achievements of both Elsie Inglis influence on the nation's Suffrage movement as well as her remarkable medical achievements.
"We hope the notes prompt people to take a further interest and to delve deeper into Scotland's history."
Malcolm MacNicol, a former surgeon and great-nephew of Elsie Inglis, said: "Elsie Inglis had a massive impact on Scotland's political and medical history.
"Marking the achievements Elsie made in her life, while coinciding with the anniversary of the Princes Street Suffrage March, with her inclusion on the Clydesdale Bank note is to be welcomed and I hope this increases the public's awareness of her work.
Edinburgh Evening News
2 November 2009
THE memory of Edinburgh's own Florence Nightingale, who fought death in foreign battlefields and inequality at home, is set to live on in your wallet.
Wartime hero and Suffragette Dr Elsie Inglis will feature on Clydesdale Bank's new £50 note, which enters circulation today.
Born in India in 1864, she was brought to the city by her father and attended the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women in its first year of opening.
She set up the Scottish Women's Hospital movement in 1914 and was renowned for her work throughout Europe during the First World War. The movement set up field hospitals in countries including France, Belgium, Serbia, Romania, Greece and Russia, and was credited with saving the lives of many thousands of servicemen.
The release of the £50 note coincides with the 100-year anniversary of the Princes Street Suffrage March, which Elsie Inglis played a significant role in organising.
Janet Fenton, co-ordinator of the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre and organiser of last month's centenary reenactment of the march, said: "We wholeheartedly welcome anything that draws attention to the extremely important work Elsie Inglis did. It's significant that while she worked tirelessly to ease the suffering of the victims of war she was herself a staunch peace activist.
"It's important to remember her efforts to give women the vote, so they now have the power to use their vote in the coming general election to put peace on the agenda in today's troubled times."
The bank note is the second of Clydesdale Bank's new world heritage notes which will be available across the country from 10am.
As well as featuring Elsie Inglis on the front, the £50 note will depict the Roman-built Antonine Wall on the reverse.
Lynne Peacock, chief executive of Clydesdale Bank, said: "Clydesdale Bank's new £50 note reflects the diversity of Scotland's history.
"As a bank we are extremely proud to mark the achievements of both Elsie Inglis influence on the nation's Suffrage movement as well as her remarkable medical achievements.
"We hope the notes prompt people to take a further interest and to delve deeper into Scotland's history."
Malcolm MacNicol, a former surgeon and great-nephew of Elsie Inglis, said: "Elsie Inglis had a massive impact on Scotland's political and medical history.
"Marking the achievements Elsie made in her life, while coinciding with the anniversary of the Princes Street Suffrage March, with her inclusion on the Clydesdale Bank note is to be welcomed and I hope this increases the public's awareness of her work.
Thursday, 29 October 2009
READING: Freedman, A Choice of Enemies
Lawrence Freedman
A Choice of Enemies: America Confronts the Middle East
2009
Concise and largely objective overview of 30 years of American foreign policy in the Middle East, by London King College's professor of war studies. Tellingly, for a concise overview, it still runs to around 600 pages of dense text, but it would be impossible to do justice to the book's remit in any less.
Freedman focuses his thesis on the crucial year 1979 - the year of the Iranian Islamic revolution, Saddam's rise to power in Iraq and the Russian invasion of Afghanistan - and lets the history unfold from there.
The book is a damning indictment of America's wavering policies in the Middle East, where allies swiftly become enemies. Much is said about the instability of Middle East politics, but as Freedman's book shows Mideast leaders are equally adept at exploiting the inherent instabilities in America's political system.
Witness how Khomenei waited until Carter left the White House, almost to the second, before he released the Iranian Embassy hostages, or how successive Israeli governments maintain their occupation of the West Bank and Golan by mobilising the powerful US Jewish-lobby and confounding successive Presidents with empty "accords" and aimless "road maps" to peace.
A Choice of Enemies: America Confronts the Middle East
2009
Concise and largely objective overview of 30 years of American foreign policy in the Middle East, by London King College's professor of war studies. Tellingly, for a concise overview, it still runs to around 600 pages of dense text, but it would be impossible to do justice to the book's remit in any less.
Freedman focuses his thesis on the crucial year 1979 - the year of the Iranian Islamic revolution, Saddam's rise to power in Iraq and the Russian invasion of Afghanistan - and lets the history unfold from there.
The book is a damning indictment of America's wavering policies in the Middle East, where allies swiftly become enemies. Much is said about the instability of Middle East politics, but as Freedman's book shows Mideast leaders are equally adept at exploiting the inherent instabilities in America's political system.
Witness how Khomenei waited until Carter left the White House, almost to the second, before he released the Iranian Embassy hostages, or how successive Israeli governments maintain their occupation of the West Bank and Golan by mobilising the powerful US Jewish-lobby and confounding successive Presidents with empty "accords" and aimless "road maps" to peace.
NEWS: Anyone ever heard of 'Blackfriars Bobby'...?!
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
29 October 2009
IT is one of Edinburgh's most famous tales, but the story of Greyfriars Bobby has just got a little darker.
A free city map distributed in the city's hotels, train stations and visitor attractions has accidentally branded the statue of the famous terrier "Blackfriar's Bobby".
A total of 600,000 maps with Bobby's new name have been distributed around the Capital and the Lothians, leading to dozens of complaints - including one from Greyfriars Kirk.
As well as renaming the legendary loyal dog, the map mistakenly labels the churchyard where he watched over his master's grave as the site of "Blackfriar's Kirk".
The map's creator today held up his hands to the mistakes - which also include showing Broughton Street and Union Street in the wrong place - and said they would be corrected when it is reprinted.
Peter Todhunter, who holds the licence to distribute the maps in the UK on behalf of Canadian company Skycorp Maps Ltd, said: "Greyfriars Kirk did call to complain about the error on the map, which was due to a mix-up during the production stage. I actually produce two maps, one for Edinburgh and one for St Andrews.
"The St Andrews map has a guide to Blackfriars Tours, which does guided walks around the town offering 'twisted tales of St Andrews'. When it came to producing the Edinburgh map I mixed up Greyfriars Bobby and Kirk with Blackfriars tours.
"I also accept there are a few spelling mistakes, and that Broughton Street and Union Street are in the wrong place.
"I've been aware of these errors for quite some time and I do tell people that there are a few mistakes in there when I'm distributing the maps. I'd like to assure everyone that all of these errors will be corrected in the next edition of the map, in April."
Other mistakes include King's Stables Road appearing alternately with and without an apostrophe at the east and west end of the street, a missing apostrophe on Queen's Drive and Spittal Street with a missing "t".
The Evening News found the map in several prominent city hotels and tourists spots, including the Sheraton Hotel in Festival Square, the Carlton Hotel on North Bridge and the bureau de change on the High Street.
The lastminute.com hotel kiosk in Waverley Station also distributed copies - despite the adjacent Waverley Bridge being spelled without an "e" in the map.
The Radisson Hotel on High Street and the Balmoral on Princes Street also admitted stocking the maps, but only provided them as alternatives when stocks of their more authoritative maps ran out.
The Scotsman Hotel on North Bridge said it had received several copies, but put them straight in the recycling bin.
Edinburgh Evening News
29 October 2009
IT is one of Edinburgh's most famous tales, but the story of Greyfriars Bobby has just got a little darker.
A free city map distributed in the city's hotels, train stations and visitor attractions has accidentally branded the statue of the famous terrier "Blackfriar's Bobby".
A total of 600,000 maps with Bobby's new name have been distributed around the Capital and the Lothians, leading to dozens of complaints - including one from Greyfriars Kirk.
As well as renaming the legendary loyal dog, the map mistakenly labels the churchyard where he watched over his master's grave as the site of "Blackfriar's Kirk".
The map's creator today held up his hands to the mistakes - which also include showing Broughton Street and Union Street in the wrong place - and said they would be corrected when it is reprinted.
Peter Todhunter, who holds the licence to distribute the maps in the UK on behalf of Canadian company Skycorp Maps Ltd, said: "Greyfriars Kirk did call to complain about the error on the map, which was due to a mix-up during the production stage. I actually produce two maps, one for Edinburgh and one for St Andrews.
"The St Andrews map has a guide to Blackfriars Tours, which does guided walks around the town offering 'twisted tales of St Andrews'. When it came to producing the Edinburgh map I mixed up Greyfriars Bobby and Kirk with Blackfriars tours.
"I also accept there are a few spelling mistakes, and that Broughton Street and Union Street are in the wrong place.
"I've been aware of these errors for quite some time and I do tell people that there are a few mistakes in there when I'm distributing the maps. I'd like to assure everyone that all of these errors will be corrected in the next edition of the map, in April."
Other mistakes include King's Stables Road appearing alternately with and without an apostrophe at the east and west end of the street, a missing apostrophe on Queen's Drive and Spittal Street with a missing "t".
The Evening News found the map in several prominent city hotels and tourists spots, including the Sheraton Hotel in Festival Square, the Carlton Hotel on North Bridge and the bureau de change on the High Street.
The lastminute.com hotel kiosk in Waverley Station also distributed copies - despite the adjacent Waverley Bridge being spelled without an "e" in the map.
The Radisson Hotel on High Street and the Balmoral on Princes Street also admitted stocking the maps, but only provided them as alternatives when stocks of their more authoritative maps ran out.
The Scotsman Hotel on North Bridge said it had received several copies, but put them straight in the recycling bin.
READING: Hider, The Spiders of Allah
James HiderThe Spiders of Allah: Travels of an Unbeliever on the Frontline of Holy War
2009
The first Gulf II non-fiction page turner I've read, by The Times' Middle East bureau chief. The action is relentless, and Hider's visual style of writing unfolds like an action movie.
Unlike Simpson and Bowen, Gulf II was Hider's first war so he comes unburdened by the weight of history and experience to describe many of the war's atrocities with fresh eyes.
His central thesis that Islam is a brutal, backward and superstitious religion (the book's title alludes to the Iraqis' belief that an army of huge shrieking spiders had been sent by Allah to cut down the invading troops) is inflammatory and has a ring of old Colonialism about it - but Hider offsets this by describing plenty more atrocities conducted in the name of secular/Christian warfare.
Low points include an army senior commander ordering a sniper to cut down an old man collecting sticks in case his bundle contained an RPG, and American troops storming Basra with Team America's 'America: Fuck Yeah!' blaring from tank speakers without a hint of irony.
Gulf II has yet to be given the full Apocalypse Now or Jarhead Hollywood treatment, but when they do the producers could do worse than tear through Hider's book for source material.
Where Coppola's fictional Vietnamese villagers died to the haunting sound of Wagner, Iraqis lost their lives with "lick my butt, and suck on my balls" still ringing in their ears.
SPORT: Slam dunk for "Scooby"
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
26 October 2009
FORMER basketball teammates of fallen fireman Ewan Williamson have unveiled a new strip in his honour – featuring cartoon dog Scooby Doo.
Mr Williamson, 35, who lost his life fighting a blaze in the Balmoral bar in Dalry Road in July, was nicknamed Scooby by his WHEC Phoenix Basketball Club teammates for the outlandish moves he would pull on the court.
Teammate Cammy King, 39, a newspaper distribution manager from Wester Hailes, described the awful moment when he heard his friend and teammate had been killed.
He said: "I had been working nightshift the night before so I arrived bleary-eyed at the breakfast table on the Sunday morning to a telephone call from one of the other players.
"He said: 'Have you heard the news?' I didn't know what he was talking about at first, but then he told me that the fireman that had been killed the night before was Ewan.
"That whole Sunday, and the days leading up to the funeral, were all a bit of a haze.
"All the guys from the basketball team turned out in force at his funeral.
"A few of the guys that had decided to call it a day changed their minds after the funeral and decided to play on for Ewan."
WHEC Phoenix played their first Lothian League game without Ewan at Fettes College's Westwood Sports Centre against Boroughmuir Blaze on Friday night, kitted-out in their new Ewan inspired Scooby strips.
Mr King added: "He was a legend on and off the court. We called him Scooby because of the heroic moves he pulled, and the way he would run around the court just like the cartoon dog Scooby Doo.
"He could throw a ball through his legs and it would still end up in the hoop somehow.
"Off the court he was just a really nice, genial guy.
"We all used to joke with him about the cushy life he had as a fireman, as though all he did all day was play table tennis in the station.
"He never expressed any fears that his job had the potential to lead to a fatality.
"He loved being a fireman, and he loved playing basketball for WHEC Phoenix.
"He has been sadly missed by us all."
The navy-blue strip turned out to be a lucky charm for the team on the night, coming from behind at half time to win the game 37-33.
Mr King added: "We missed Ewan a lot, but we all pulled together to do the job."
WHEC Phoenix have given their undivided support to the Evening News campaign to secure the Queen's Gallantry Medal for Mr Williamson.
Thousands of Evening News readers, along with politicians and colleagues of Mr Williamson, have backed our call to secure the honour.
Edinburgh Evening News
26 October 2009
FORMER basketball teammates of fallen fireman Ewan Williamson have unveiled a new strip in his honour – featuring cartoon dog Scooby Doo.
Mr Williamson, 35, who lost his life fighting a blaze in the Balmoral bar in Dalry Road in July, was nicknamed Scooby by his WHEC Phoenix Basketball Club teammates for the outlandish moves he would pull on the court.
Teammate Cammy King, 39, a newspaper distribution manager from Wester Hailes, described the awful moment when he heard his friend and teammate had been killed.
He said: "I had been working nightshift the night before so I arrived bleary-eyed at the breakfast table on the Sunday morning to a telephone call from one of the other players.
"He said: 'Have you heard the news?' I didn't know what he was talking about at first, but then he told me that the fireman that had been killed the night before was Ewan.
"That whole Sunday, and the days leading up to the funeral, were all a bit of a haze.
"All the guys from the basketball team turned out in force at his funeral.
"A few of the guys that had decided to call it a day changed their minds after the funeral and decided to play on for Ewan."
WHEC Phoenix played their first Lothian League game without Ewan at Fettes College's Westwood Sports Centre against Boroughmuir Blaze on Friday night, kitted-out in their new Ewan inspired Scooby strips.
Mr King added: "He was a legend on and off the court. We called him Scooby because of the heroic moves he pulled, and the way he would run around the court just like the cartoon dog Scooby Doo.
"He could throw a ball through his legs and it would still end up in the hoop somehow.
"Off the court he was just a really nice, genial guy.
"We all used to joke with him about the cushy life he had as a fireman, as though all he did all day was play table tennis in the station.
"He never expressed any fears that his job had the potential to lead to a fatality.
"He loved being a fireman, and he loved playing basketball for WHEC Phoenix.
"He has been sadly missed by us all."
The navy-blue strip turned out to be a lucky charm for the team on the night, coming from behind at half time to win the game 37-33.
Mr King added: "We missed Ewan a lot, but we all pulled together to do the job."
WHEC Phoenix have given their undivided support to the Evening News campaign to secure the Queen's Gallantry Medal for Mr Williamson.
Thousands of Evening News readers, along with politicians and colleagues of Mr Williamson, have backed our call to secure the honour.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
READING: Woodward & Bernstein, The Final Days
Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein
The Final Days
1976
Day by day account of the last days of the Nixon regime, brought down in part by the authors' Washington Post reports.
Less breathless and immediate than All The President's Men, which was written in the white hot heat of Watergate, this is more of a dry historical account.
The reversal of writing credits from its predecessor (ATPM was credited to Bernstein & Woodward) suggests Woodward did most of the legwork while cultivating the Washington contacts that would keep him in print for the next three decades, while the more impetuous Bernstein was busy eating out on his new found fame.
This book is less Nixon: My Part In His Downfall and more The History of the Decline and Fall of the Nixon Empire.
The Final Days
1976
Day by day account of the last days of the Nixon regime, brought down in part by the authors' Washington Post reports.
Less breathless and immediate than All The President's Men, which was written in the white hot heat of Watergate, this is more of a dry historical account.
The reversal of writing credits from its predecessor (ATPM was credited to Bernstein & Woodward) suggests Woodward did most of the legwork while cultivating the Washington contacts that would keep him in print for the next three decades, while the more impetuous Bernstein was busy eating out on his new found fame.
This book is less Nixon: My Part In His Downfall and more The History of the Decline and Fall of the Nixon Empire.
NEWS: Intercontinental Inspector
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
26 October 2009
THE long arm of the law turned out to be very long indeed for a retired police inspector who successfully circumnavigated the globe thanks to the hospitality of dozens of international police forces.
Tom McInally, 49, who recently retired from Lothian and Borders Police, is on the last stretch of his bid to take "the long way round" the world in aid of disability charity Capability Scotland.
Inspired by the television series of the same name charting Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor and his friend Charly Boorman's travels around the world by motorcycle, Tom revved up his BMW GS1200 and set off with two friends from the Capability HQ in Ellersly Road to the ferryport at Hull on 9 May.
After a quick jaunt through Zebrugge, they set up camp in France.
It was an experience of a lifetime for fellow rider David Burdus, from the Newcastle area, who lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle accident 20 years ago and made it as far as France on a specially adapted Martin Conquest three-wheeler.
From there Tom, who lives in Corstorphine, and fellow retired Inspector Gordon Thyne, 52, from North Queensferry, set off through Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Ukraine before running into a bit of trouble with the law in Russia.
Tom said: "The Russian police have a habit of pulling you over and asking for bribes to overlook so-called 'traffic offences'.
"We got stopped eight times and each time we had to spend half an hour telling them they weren't getting anything from us, which mostly consisted of us saying 'nyet!' over-and-over again from a Lonely Planet phrasebook.
"Once we made it clear we were retired policemen they stopped asking us for money and started asking us about policing in Scotland."
In most countries Tom visited he was treated like a king by foreign police officers through his contacts in the International Police Association (IPA), a network of serving and retired officers that spans the world.
After enduring the treacherous roads of Kazakhstan and Siberian Russia, Gordon split off at Vladivostok to find his own way home through Korea, while Tom headed on to Japan.
Tom added: "I visited Hiroshima and it was so moving to see the devastation caused there with my own eyes. I spent some time with the Yokohama Harbour patrols before heading on to Tokyo.
"The Japanese chapter of the IPA laid on a reception for me at every town I visited, and took me on tours of castles and sights.
"From there I flew the bike to Los Angeles and rode through the southern states of America, where I was treated to some real southern hospitality. I spent five days trying to get out because they had a party for me every night. They wouldn't let me leave.
"I eventually made it to New York where I got a tour of the 26th Precinct and the Police Museum before flying back to Heathrow."
Tom is now set to embark on the final stretch of his 'Transglobomoto' expedition through Wales and Ireland, before returning to Scotland. He has raised over £24,000 for Capability Scotland so far, and further donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/transglobemoto
Edinburgh Evening News
26 October 2009
THE long arm of the law turned out to be very long indeed for a retired police inspector who successfully circumnavigated the globe thanks to the hospitality of dozens of international police forces.
Tom McInally, 49, who recently retired from Lothian and Borders Police, is on the last stretch of his bid to take "the long way round" the world in aid of disability charity Capability Scotland.
Inspired by the television series of the same name charting Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor and his friend Charly Boorman's travels around the world by motorcycle, Tom revved up his BMW GS1200 and set off with two friends from the Capability HQ in Ellersly Road to the ferryport at Hull on 9 May.
After a quick jaunt through Zebrugge, they set up camp in France.
It was an experience of a lifetime for fellow rider David Burdus, from the Newcastle area, who lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle accident 20 years ago and made it as far as France on a specially adapted Martin Conquest three-wheeler.
From there Tom, who lives in Corstorphine, and fellow retired Inspector Gordon Thyne, 52, from North Queensferry, set off through Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Ukraine before running into a bit of trouble with the law in Russia.
Tom said: "The Russian police have a habit of pulling you over and asking for bribes to overlook so-called 'traffic offences'.
"We got stopped eight times and each time we had to spend half an hour telling them they weren't getting anything from us, which mostly consisted of us saying 'nyet!' over-and-over again from a Lonely Planet phrasebook.
"Once we made it clear we were retired policemen they stopped asking us for money and started asking us about policing in Scotland."
In most countries Tom visited he was treated like a king by foreign police officers through his contacts in the International Police Association (IPA), a network of serving and retired officers that spans the world.
After enduring the treacherous roads of Kazakhstan and Siberian Russia, Gordon split off at Vladivostok to find his own way home through Korea, while Tom headed on to Japan.
Tom added: "I visited Hiroshima and it was so moving to see the devastation caused there with my own eyes. I spent some time with the Yokohama Harbour patrols before heading on to Tokyo.
"The Japanese chapter of the IPA laid on a reception for me at every town I visited, and took me on tours of castles and sights.
"From there I flew the bike to Los Angeles and rode through the southern states of America, where I was treated to some real southern hospitality. I spent five days trying to get out because they had a party for me every night. They wouldn't let me leave.
"I eventually made it to New York where I got a tour of the 26th Precinct and the Police Museum before flying back to Heathrow."
Tom is now set to embark on the final stretch of his 'Transglobomoto' expedition through Wales and Ireland, before returning to Scotland. He has raised over £24,000 for Capability Scotland so far, and further donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/transglobemoto
Saturday, 24 October 2009
READING: Bowen, Six Days
Jermey Bowen
Six Days: How the 1967 War Shaped the Middle East
2004
Hour-by-hour account of the 1967 Six Day War. Much less readable than Bowen's follow up War Stories. Not for the uninitiated.
Six Days: How the 1967 War Shaped the Middle East
2004
Hour-by-hour account of the 1967 Six Day War. Much less readable than Bowen's follow up War Stories. Not for the uninitiated.
NEWS: Wattage of Leith
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
22 October 2009
IT once powered dozens of mills stretching the length and breadth of Edinburgh.
Now the Water of Leith may be set to become a power generator once more with plans to site five turbines along the waterway.
Renewables group Community Energy Scotland has awarded more than £30,000 to the city council and four community groups to assess the feasibility of installing "micro-hydro" generators at five points on the waterway.
The aim is to install turbines similar to the hydro-dynamic screw, a coil-shaped turbine in River Dart Country Park in Devon, which produces enough energy to power 100 homes for a year and saves the park £40,000 in electricity costs.
None of the five locations – at Harperrig Reservoir in Kirknewton, Harlaw Reservoir in Balerno, Mossy Mill in Juniper Green, and two weirs at Dean Village and Redbraes in Leith – are thought to be big enough to sustain a turbine the size of the screw but the study will ascertain whether smaller turbines will be cost effective.
Community Energy Scotland has given each group £6000 from the Scottish Government's Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), which helps community and voluntary groups fit green energy in their buildings and investigate renewable energy development using local resources.
Eric Dodd, CARES manager, said: "This is an exciting project.
"The weirs on the Water of Leith were originally built to power mills. It seems fitting to try to bring these weirs back into use, providing potential income for local communities using clean renewable energy technology.
"Projects like this can transform communities and help Scotland achieve its world leading climate change targets."
The work builds on a previous study commissioned by the city council sustainable development unit which highlighted the resource potential along several sections of the Water of Leith.
Go Balerno! – formerly the Balerno Village Conservation and Development Trust – will oversee the Harlaw Reservoir study.
Chair Simon Dormer said: "It's not clear whether all five of these projects will come together, but we've been preparing for the Balerno turbine for quite some time now so I'm confident that our project will fly."
Greener Leith will oversee the Redbraes Weir study. Chair Alastair Tibbitt said: "Obviously this turbine won't be big enough to power every home in Leith but we hope to use it as a community education project to demonstrate what can be achieved by a community committed to renewable energy."
The city council will take control of the Mossy Mill project.
Environment leader Robert Aldridge said: "One of our key priorities is for Edinburgh to become even more clean and green, and exploring the potential of sustainable micro energy sources, such as hydro power, will help us move towards this."
Kirknewton Community Development Trust will oversee the Harperrig Reservoir study, while the Dean Weir study will be handled by the Dean Village Association.
Edinburgh Evening News
22 October 2009
IT once powered dozens of mills stretching the length and breadth of Edinburgh.
Now the Water of Leith may be set to become a power generator once more with plans to site five turbines along the waterway.
Renewables group Community Energy Scotland has awarded more than £30,000 to the city council and four community groups to assess the feasibility of installing "micro-hydro" generators at five points on the waterway.
The aim is to install turbines similar to the hydro-dynamic screw, a coil-shaped turbine in River Dart Country Park in Devon, which produces enough energy to power 100 homes for a year and saves the park £40,000 in electricity costs.
None of the five locations – at Harperrig Reservoir in Kirknewton, Harlaw Reservoir in Balerno, Mossy Mill in Juniper Green, and two weirs at Dean Village and Redbraes in Leith – are thought to be big enough to sustain a turbine the size of the screw but the study will ascertain whether smaller turbines will be cost effective.
Community Energy Scotland has given each group £6000 from the Scottish Government's Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), which helps community and voluntary groups fit green energy in their buildings and investigate renewable energy development using local resources.
Eric Dodd, CARES manager, said: "This is an exciting project.
"The weirs on the Water of Leith were originally built to power mills. It seems fitting to try to bring these weirs back into use, providing potential income for local communities using clean renewable energy technology.
"Projects like this can transform communities and help Scotland achieve its world leading climate change targets."
The work builds on a previous study commissioned by the city council sustainable development unit which highlighted the resource potential along several sections of the Water of Leith.
Go Balerno! – formerly the Balerno Village Conservation and Development Trust – will oversee the Harlaw Reservoir study.
Chair Simon Dormer said: "It's not clear whether all five of these projects will come together, but we've been preparing for the Balerno turbine for quite some time now so I'm confident that our project will fly."
Greener Leith will oversee the Redbraes Weir study. Chair Alastair Tibbitt said: "Obviously this turbine won't be big enough to power every home in Leith but we hope to use it as a community education project to demonstrate what can be achieved by a community committed to renewable energy."
The city council will take control of the Mossy Mill project.
Environment leader Robert Aldridge said: "One of our key priorities is for Edinburgh to become even more clean and green, and exploring the potential of sustainable micro energy sources, such as hydro power, will help us move towards this."
Kirknewton Community Development Trust will oversee the Harperrig Reservoir study, while the Dean Weir study will be handled by the Dean Village Association.
READING: Simpson, The Wars Against Saddam
John Simpson
The Wars Against Saddam: Taking the Hard Road to Baghdad
2003
Refreshingly less self indulgant than some of Simpson's other work. Contains the best description of Saddam I've encountered to date - a brutal gangster rather than a head of state.
Simpson portrays Saddam as an unpleasant Don Corleone figure, with his brutal son Uday and his quieter but no less unpleasant son Qusay as his own Sonny and Michael. Son-in-law Hussein Kamel is the family's Fredo, defecting to Jordan in 1995 only to be lured back and killed for his treachery.
The Wars Against Saddam: Taking the Hard Road to Baghdad
2003
Refreshingly less self indulgant than some of Simpson's other work. Contains the best description of Saddam I've encountered to date - a brutal gangster rather than a head of state.
Simpson portrays Saddam as an unpleasant Don Corleone figure, with his brutal son Uday and his quieter but no less unpleasant son Qusay as his own Sonny and Michael. Son-in-law Hussein Kamel is the family's Fredo, defecting to Jordan in 1995 only to be lured back and killed for his treachery.
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
FEATURE: From Cannabis to Chaos
Anyone who thinks cannabis use isn't harmful should read this and take note. Whether you believe it causes psychological damage or not, you're bound to run into some dodgy and often desperate people who are selling it at some point along the chain, just like Nicole.
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
21 October 2009
A SUNNY day during the summer holidays and a group of giggly teenagers squash together on a park bench. As they chat – about boys, teachers, fashion – one produces a cannabis joint and lights it, before offering it around.
Laughing, they all take turns having a puff. Just another rebellious rite of passage, like that first sip of alcohol or drag on a cigarette, given a slightly more delicious edge because it is illegal.
But for Nicole Carter, then 14 in the summer of 1989 and one of the teenagers in that park in West Linton, that first smoke was the beginning of a 20-year mental health nightmare from which she is only just emerging. Later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, characterised by violent mood swings and deep depression, she is in no doubt that cannabis is to blame.
"I can't emphasise enough the damaging effect that cannabis had on my life," says the 34-year-old, originally from Penicuik. "It was just so easily available when I was growing up.
"That first time when I tried it made me feel quite sick at first, but I persevered because being bad was an extreme sport for me. My dad was a policeman and my mum never touched anything like that."
Up until then, she'd had a happy childhood. Her father Harry served in The Royal Scots Greys under soldier and adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, before becoming a policeman. Her mother Rosina was a playground assistant at Mauricewood Primary, her first school, and a community centre volunteer.
"She was always around in the playground playing games like dodgeball and hockey, and after school she'd take me and my younger brothers, twins Iain and David, to the community centre so we always had loads of friends," she says.
But relations with her family went rapidly downhill after that first puff of cannabis. Nicole, by then a pupil at Beeslack High School, began smoking the drug every weekend. "I started to become aggressive and paranoid. I remember one time in third year when I thought there were sharks in the school swimming pool. I eventually managed to rationalise but I'll never forget the feeling of imminent fear I had in the pool.
"I started losing interest in school and when my mum found out she wasn't pleased to say the least.
"Things weren't going well at home and then my dad left, which didn't help matters but it wasn't the source of my problems. By that time I just didn't care any more."
She began to enter a murky world. "The cannabis also brought me into contact with a drug dealer. He was about 21 and he had a bit of a reputation as the kind of guy you don't mess around with. I passed him in the street one day and he asked if he could walk me home.
"I should have wondered why a 21-year-old guy wanted to walk a 15-year-old home, but I was flattered that he noticed me. He knew exactly what he was doing – and we kissed on the way home.
"About a week later I was at a party and there was only me and another girl and whole group of guys. He took me up to the bedroom and I have to admit I was a bit curious about sex because of all the things we had been taught about.
"I was a virgin at the time and while I was curious I didn't want to have sex, but when he got his hands on me he started ordering me around. He was very dictatorial and I was scared of him so I just did everything he told me to do."
At the time she didn't tell anyone what had happened. "I had to go to rape counselling and get pregnancy and HIV tests by myself, which is a lot to handle when you're 15. I stopped smoking cannabis after that."
Within a couple of years her mother remarried and her new stepfather, Bill Cargill, began to reintroduce some stability in her life. She retook some of her highers at college and got a steady job at Standard Life. However, life soon began to unravel again.
"I had already started smoking cannabis again in an effort to get my life into some kind of perspective. I began to feel angry at all of the things that happened in my teens, almost like delayed post-traumatic stress, so I quit my job and ran away to Amsterdam.
"Ironically, I smoked less in Amsterdam than I did in Scotland because I was holding down two jobs as a kitchen porter in an Irish bar and a cleaner at a hostel.
"I came back in 1997 but rather than return home to my parents I decided to become homeless. I checked into the Cranston Street hostel, which was . . . interesting.
"Most of the women in there had drug and alcohol problems, and had been abused or raped.
"It sickened me how prevalent rape seemed to be and how many men seemed to get away with it, so I finally reported my own rape, but the police said too much time had passed. They questioned the dealer but he denied it, so that was that."
Nicole got a job as a silver service waitress and ended up working as a waitress at the Queen's garden party at Holyrood House.
"I still laugh at the irony of this homeless waif handing out hors d'oeuvre to the guests."
By now she was using cannabis again. "I've rarely ever paid for cannabis because it's always been so readily available. There were always guys offering me joints and most of the time it was their way of making girls easy.
"I started getting paranoid again and I used to think people were either angels or demons, and that I was able to see it in their eyes.
"I got a job at the Edinburgh Rock cafe around this time too and I had to be restrained from throwing myself off the roof. I was just standing on the edge and I decided I would just let myself fall, but someone pulled me back. It was a suicide attempt and I put the blame solely on cannabis.
"I wasn't eating and I became seriously malnourished, so on top of my bipolar disorder I was suffering from hallucinations and I was admitted to hospital.
"When I got out I started a university degree in applied bio-sciences and I starting seeing a guy called Steven. We weren't really right for each other and shortly after we split up he died of complications related to his diabetes. He was only 21.
"Even though I'd only been seeing him for a week I began to get terrible feelings of guilt.
"I dropped out of the course and . . . " She stops mid-sentence and her face suddenly drops. She puts her hand to her face. What she's trying to say is that at the age of 23 she was sexually assaulted again and spent the rest of her 20s going from hospital to hostel.
She adds: "One thing I've noticed about every psychiatric hospital I've ever been to is that they seem to put the predatory men in the same ward as the vulnerable women, and the horrible women in with the vulnerable men.
"I've raised it with the staff and they all give me the same excuse – there's not enough beds. I just want to break out of this vicious cycle."
Now, though, she's hoping she's done just that. She's staying at the city council's Colinton Mains House, supported temporary accommodation.
"Some of my worst periods in life were brought by my desire to have children. One of the side-effects of my medication is the risk that it will give my child spina-bifida if I was ever to become pregnant, so I kept taking myself off the medication and then end up at square one.
"The staff at Colinton Mains House have been amazing. They've helped me realise that my medication is necessary and helped me cope with the side effects."
She is also writing poetry, with the inspiration drawn from some of her most troubled times and has just had some work published.
"Now I'm looking forward to the future. But anyone that says cannabis doesn't cause mental illness doesn't have a clue what they're talking about."
Poems By Nicole Carter: Volume One is available from Colinton Mains House on 0131 441 2719.
BAD INFLUENCE
CANNABIS – also known as dope, grass, marijuana, hash or pot – is the most widely used illegal Class-B drug in Britain, either as parts of the herb, or as the resin, hashish. It is harvested from the plant cannabis sativa, and the main active compound is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Researchers estimate there were about 321,352 recreational drug users smoking or ingesting cannabis in Scotland in 2006, and the number continues to rise. In recent years drugs hauls worth millions have been discovered in the Capital. About 100 cannabis farms have been closed across the country in the past 12 months.
Some of those who use the drug, which has a strong and distinctive smell, can become anxious, panicky, suspicious or paranoid.
It also affects coordination, which is one of the reasons why driving under its influence is just as illegal as drink driving.
As it is usually smoked, often mixed with unfiltered tobacco– and is frequently adulterated with other chemicals – it can cause lung disease, and cancer in the case of long-term or heavy use.
Cannabis itself affects many different systems in the body. It increases the heart rate and can affect blood pressure.
Those with a history of mental health problems are especially advised not to smoke cannabis. It can cause paranoia in the short term and spark a relapse for those with psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia.
It is also thought that frequent use of cannabis can cut a man's sperm count, reduce sperm motility, and can suppress ovulation in women.
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
21 October 2009
A SUNNY day during the summer holidays and a group of giggly teenagers squash together on a park bench. As they chat – about boys, teachers, fashion – one produces a cannabis joint and lights it, before offering it around.
Laughing, they all take turns having a puff. Just another rebellious rite of passage, like that first sip of alcohol or drag on a cigarette, given a slightly more delicious edge because it is illegal.
But for Nicole Carter, then 14 in the summer of 1989 and one of the teenagers in that park in West Linton, that first smoke was the beginning of a 20-year mental health nightmare from which she is only just emerging. Later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, characterised by violent mood swings and deep depression, she is in no doubt that cannabis is to blame.
"I can't emphasise enough the damaging effect that cannabis had on my life," says the 34-year-old, originally from Penicuik. "It was just so easily available when I was growing up.
"That first time when I tried it made me feel quite sick at first, but I persevered because being bad was an extreme sport for me. My dad was a policeman and my mum never touched anything like that."
Up until then, she'd had a happy childhood. Her father Harry served in The Royal Scots Greys under soldier and adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, before becoming a policeman. Her mother Rosina was a playground assistant at Mauricewood Primary, her first school, and a community centre volunteer.
"She was always around in the playground playing games like dodgeball and hockey, and after school she'd take me and my younger brothers, twins Iain and David, to the community centre so we always had loads of friends," she says.
But relations with her family went rapidly downhill after that first puff of cannabis. Nicole, by then a pupil at Beeslack High School, began smoking the drug every weekend. "I started to become aggressive and paranoid. I remember one time in third year when I thought there were sharks in the school swimming pool. I eventually managed to rationalise but I'll never forget the feeling of imminent fear I had in the pool.
"I started losing interest in school and when my mum found out she wasn't pleased to say the least.
"Things weren't going well at home and then my dad left, which didn't help matters but it wasn't the source of my problems. By that time I just didn't care any more."
She began to enter a murky world. "The cannabis also brought me into contact with a drug dealer. He was about 21 and he had a bit of a reputation as the kind of guy you don't mess around with. I passed him in the street one day and he asked if he could walk me home.
"I should have wondered why a 21-year-old guy wanted to walk a 15-year-old home, but I was flattered that he noticed me. He knew exactly what he was doing – and we kissed on the way home.
"About a week later I was at a party and there was only me and another girl and whole group of guys. He took me up to the bedroom and I have to admit I was a bit curious about sex because of all the things we had been taught about.
"I was a virgin at the time and while I was curious I didn't want to have sex, but when he got his hands on me he started ordering me around. He was very dictatorial and I was scared of him so I just did everything he told me to do."
At the time she didn't tell anyone what had happened. "I had to go to rape counselling and get pregnancy and HIV tests by myself, which is a lot to handle when you're 15. I stopped smoking cannabis after that."
Within a couple of years her mother remarried and her new stepfather, Bill Cargill, began to reintroduce some stability in her life. She retook some of her highers at college and got a steady job at Standard Life. However, life soon began to unravel again.
"I had already started smoking cannabis again in an effort to get my life into some kind of perspective. I began to feel angry at all of the things that happened in my teens, almost like delayed post-traumatic stress, so I quit my job and ran away to Amsterdam.
"Ironically, I smoked less in Amsterdam than I did in Scotland because I was holding down two jobs as a kitchen porter in an Irish bar and a cleaner at a hostel.
"I came back in 1997 but rather than return home to my parents I decided to become homeless. I checked into the Cranston Street hostel, which was . . . interesting.
"Most of the women in there had drug and alcohol problems, and had been abused or raped.
"It sickened me how prevalent rape seemed to be and how many men seemed to get away with it, so I finally reported my own rape, but the police said too much time had passed. They questioned the dealer but he denied it, so that was that."
Nicole got a job as a silver service waitress and ended up working as a waitress at the Queen's garden party at Holyrood House.
"I still laugh at the irony of this homeless waif handing out hors d'oeuvre to the guests."
By now she was using cannabis again. "I've rarely ever paid for cannabis because it's always been so readily available. There were always guys offering me joints and most of the time it was their way of making girls easy.
"I started getting paranoid again and I used to think people were either angels or demons, and that I was able to see it in their eyes.
"I got a job at the Edinburgh Rock cafe around this time too and I had to be restrained from throwing myself off the roof. I was just standing on the edge and I decided I would just let myself fall, but someone pulled me back. It was a suicide attempt and I put the blame solely on cannabis.
"I wasn't eating and I became seriously malnourished, so on top of my bipolar disorder I was suffering from hallucinations and I was admitted to hospital.
"When I got out I started a university degree in applied bio-sciences and I starting seeing a guy called Steven. We weren't really right for each other and shortly after we split up he died of complications related to his diabetes. He was only 21.
"Even though I'd only been seeing him for a week I began to get terrible feelings of guilt.
"I dropped out of the course and . . . " She stops mid-sentence and her face suddenly drops. She puts her hand to her face. What she's trying to say is that at the age of 23 she was sexually assaulted again and spent the rest of her 20s going from hospital to hostel.
She adds: "One thing I've noticed about every psychiatric hospital I've ever been to is that they seem to put the predatory men in the same ward as the vulnerable women, and the horrible women in with the vulnerable men.
"I've raised it with the staff and they all give me the same excuse – there's not enough beds. I just want to break out of this vicious cycle."
Now, though, she's hoping she's done just that. She's staying at the city council's Colinton Mains House, supported temporary accommodation.
"Some of my worst periods in life were brought by my desire to have children. One of the side-effects of my medication is the risk that it will give my child spina-bifida if I was ever to become pregnant, so I kept taking myself off the medication and then end up at square one.
"The staff at Colinton Mains House have been amazing. They've helped me realise that my medication is necessary and helped me cope with the side effects."
She is also writing poetry, with the inspiration drawn from some of her most troubled times and has just had some work published.
"Now I'm looking forward to the future. But anyone that says cannabis doesn't cause mental illness doesn't have a clue what they're talking about."
Poems By Nicole Carter: Volume One is available from Colinton Mains House on 0131 441 2719.
BAD INFLUENCE
CANNABIS – also known as dope, grass, marijuana, hash or pot – is the most widely used illegal Class-B drug in Britain, either as parts of the herb, or as the resin, hashish. It is harvested from the plant cannabis sativa, and the main active compound is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Researchers estimate there were about 321,352 recreational drug users smoking or ingesting cannabis in Scotland in 2006, and the number continues to rise. In recent years drugs hauls worth millions have been discovered in the Capital. About 100 cannabis farms have been closed across the country in the past 12 months.
Some of those who use the drug, which has a strong and distinctive smell, can become anxious, panicky, suspicious or paranoid.
It also affects coordination, which is one of the reasons why driving under its influence is just as illegal as drink driving.
As it is usually smoked, often mixed with unfiltered tobacco– and is frequently adulterated with other chemicals – it can cause lung disease, and cancer in the case of long-term or heavy use.
Cannabis itself affects many different systems in the body. It increases the heart rate and can affect blood pressure.
Those with a history of mental health problems are especially advised not to smoke cannabis. It can cause paranoia in the short term and spark a relapse for those with psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia.
It is also thought that frequent use of cannabis can cut a man's sperm count, reduce sperm motility, and can suppress ovulation in women.
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
READING: Bernstein & Woodward, All The President's Men
Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward
All The President's Men
1974
Required reading for all journalists. Every page has a new trick on how to speak the truth to power, and how to afflict the comfortably crooked. Must be read at least once a year.
All The President's Men
1974
Required reading for all journalists. Every page has a new trick on how to speak the truth to power, and how to afflict the comfortably crooked. Must be read at least once a year.
READING: Bowen, War Stories
Jeremy Bowen
War Stories
2009
Eyewitness account of 20 years of war. Bowen has one eye on the big picture, and one eye on the human costs of war. His narrative always comes back to the individuals affected by war with dozens of tragic case-studies that bring the action home.
War Stories
2009
Eyewitness account of 20 years of war. Bowen has one eye on the big picture, and one eye on the human costs of war. His narrative always comes back to the individuals affected by war with dozens of tragic case-studies that bring the action home.
READING: Zola, Germinal
Emile Zola
Germinal
1885
Fantastic docu-drama on life in a 19th Century French coal mine. Drawn from Zola's own research in the mines, as well as his own fertile imagination, the book draws to a tragic conclusion of classical Greek proportions (with a few nods to Greek mythology along the way).
Germinal
1885
Fantastic docu-drama on life in a 19th Century French coal mine. Drawn from Zola's own research in the mines, as well as his own fertile imagination, the book draws to a tragic conclusion of classical Greek proportions (with a few nods to Greek mythology along the way).
NEWS: Stolen terriers
By Mark McLaughlin
Edinburgh Evening News
20 October 2009
FOUR Staffordshire bull terrier puppies were stolen by "extremely callous" thieves during a break-in at a flat in Leith.
The eight-weeks-old puppies, of which two are black and two have brindle markings, were taken from a flat in Albert Street on Friday.
The Staffordshire bull terrier pups, which can be worth hundreds of pounds each, were taken when the flat was broken into sometime between 11.30am and 1.45pm.
Police have not disclosed whether anything else was taken in the raid.
A police spokesperson said: "The owner is very upset at the loss of the puppies.
"We are appealing for anyone who might have seen people acting suspiciously in the area at the time, or from anyone who has heard of this kind of puppy being offered for sale, to contact police."
It is unknown whether the dogs were stolen to order, or were the victim of an opportunist thief.
However, Leith Walk Councillor Angela Blacklock said it was possible the dogs were stolen to order as they would be likely to fetch a high price if sold on.
She said: "This is a terrible theft. I've never heard of anything like it in the area before.
"Someone must have known that the puppies were in the flat as these breeds carry quite a high value.
"A breeder would make sure that the dogs would go to a good home but now that they've been stolen who knows what will happen to them.
"If it is someone that's broken into the property and stolen them to order or for sale the could be a real problem because we don't know what kind of home they'll go to.
"It just seems extremely callous, and it's a shame if this person was a dog breeder whose gone to the expense of raising four Staffordshire bull terrier pups only to have them snatched away.
"I will be speaking to the local police inspector to find out what happened here."
Some Staffordshire bull terrier pups are currently being sold on line for up to £400.
The theft comes almost a year to the day after four pedigree Cavalier King Charles Spaniels were snatched from their kennel outside a cottage near Linlithgow in a night-time raid.
Owner Margaret Ferguson, 48, said the thieves used a crowbar to break in to the locked kennel and would have needed a car to transport the valuable pets away.
An in February 2008 a pedigree Shi Tzu was stolen from a house in Whitburn, before being killed and dumped in a bin bag near Murraysgate Industrial Estate.
Edinburgh Evening News
20 October 2009
FOUR Staffordshire bull terrier puppies were stolen by "extremely callous" thieves during a break-in at a flat in Leith.
The eight-weeks-old puppies, of which two are black and two have brindle markings, were taken from a flat in Albert Street on Friday.
The Staffordshire bull terrier pups, which can be worth hundreds of pounds each, were taken when the flat was broken into sometime between 11.30am and 1.45pm.
Police have not disclosed whether anything else was taken in the raid.
A police spokesperson said: "The owner is very upset at the loss of the puppies.
"We are appealing for anyone who might have seen people acting suspiciously in the area at the time, or from anyone who has heard of this kind of puppy being offered for sale, to contact police."
It is unknown whether the dogs were stolen to order, or were the victim of an opportunist thief.
However, Leith Walk Councillor Angela Blacklock said it was possible the dogs were stolen to order as they would be likely to fetch a high price if sold on.
She said: "This is a terrible theft. I've never heard of anything like it in the area before.
"Someone must have known that the puppies were in the flat as these breeds carry quite a high value.
"A breeder would make sure that the dogs would go to a good home but now that they've been stolen who knows what will happen to them.
"If it is someone that's broken into the property and stolen them to order or for sale the could be a real problem because we don't know what kind of home they'll go to.
"It just seems extremely callous, and it's a shame if this person was a dog breeder whose gone to the expense of raising four Staffordshire bull terrier pups only to have them snatched away.
"I will be speaking to the local police inspector to find out what happened here."
Some Staffordshire bull terrier pups are currently being sold on line for up to £400.
The theft comes almost a year to the day after four pedigree Cavalier King Charles Spaniels were snatched from their kennel outside a cottage near Linlithgow in a night-time raid.
Owner Margaret Ferguson, 48, said the thieves used a crowbar to break in to the locked kennel and would have needed a car to transport the valuable pets away.
An in February 2008 a pedigree Shi Tzu was stolen from a house in Whitburn, before being killed and dumped in a bin bag near Murraysgate Industrial Estate.
Monday, 19 October 2009
ANALYSIS: Have you heard of this Internet thingy perchance...?
Mark McLaughlin
Edinburgh Evening News
October 19, 2009
IT WAS once regarded as the refuge of those looking for alien conspiracies and somewhere to share their thoughts on the latest Star Wars movie, but today the internet – and social networking sites in particular – have truly broken over into the mainstream.
We are logging on in our millions, with age and gender no barrier.
So-called "silver surfers" are the latest to smash through the digital divide, with a new Ofcom report showing one in four in the 45-54 age group now belong to a social networking site – more than double the number of two years ago.
These figures come on the back of a looming postal strike, but with the population e-mailing in their droves, it has to be asked whether the Post Office is history anyway, destined to be sidelined in the on-going march of technology.
Post Office figures show that the size of its average daily mailbag has decreased by around 10 per cent in the last year, to just over 75 million items a day.
Meanwhile, it is estimated that the UK is currently sending around three billion e-mails every single day.
Dr Alistair Duff, a reader in information and journalism at Edinburgh Napier University and a leading expert on how information systems shape our society, thinks the figures showing the rise of the silver surfers are "significant but not surprising".
He said: "One of the main fears about the rise of the information age was the generation gap, and if that is dissolving it shows that we're moving forward.
"The fact that we now have 45-54-year-olds using the internet more often is not that surprising to me.
"First of all, late 40s to early 50s is not that old, and it has to be remembered that this is the generation that invented the internet. I'd be more interested to find out how many over-70s have social networking sites."
Internet uptake has continued beyond middle age, with figures showing that 8 per cent of over-55s now have a social network page.
While this is great news for social inclusion, it has been welcomed with less enthusiasm in the traditional communication industries, such as the Post Office.
The Communication Workers Union claims that the Royal Mail has rejected its proposals for modernising its workload while maintaining the staff.
The Royal Mail claims that it is the CWU that is resistant to change, and it is driving customers such as Amazon away with its continuing strike action. However, Royal Mail may be right to hold off on buying huge banks of parcel-sorting machines for the moment, as the items currently sent by companies like Amazon, such as music, movies and books, are being increasingly digitised and traded online, without the bulky media of CDs, DVDs and bound volumes.
In the Information Society, the information itself is fast becoming the key tradable commodity.
Some have argued that we are on the verge of an information revolution, a 21st-century communist dream where all information – the new currency – will be equally distributed amongst the masses.
Dr Duff added: "Some have speculated that if Karl Marx were around today, he would be writing "Das Information", rather than Das Kapital.
"Information is a new currency.
Every new technology has been met with resistance from the beginning of history, and has brought a great deal of strife as well as benefits, so you will see strikes of this kind.
"However, I am sympathetic to some of this resistance, because change has to be managed sensitively. It is still possible to have full employment in a high-tech society.
"The future of the Royal Mail has got to be multimedia. New media does not always displace old media. They can co-exist in the same way that radio has continued to co-exist with television.
"As the philosopher Marshall McLuhan said, 'the medium is the message'. A handwritten, hand-delivered letter will always say much more than an e-mail, text or tweet ever could."
Nowhere is this co-existence more in evidence than the humble telephone. The use of phones for texting has rocketed from 22 billion texts in 2003 to over 85 billion texts last year.
Latest Ofcom figures show that, despite this breakthrough in telephone technology, it's still good to talk. UK land-line calls have dropped 17 per cent in the last five years, but they have been replaced by a near doubling of mobile calls, which means that the overall number of calls made in the UK, on both land-line and mobile, has risen by 10 per cent.
Dr Duff added: "It's too early to say where all of these developments are leading. As for the ability of the Information Society to spark a revolution, I'm going to go for the academic cop out – sit on the fence and wait and see which way the wind is blowing. Many Old Testament prophets who were proved false were stoned to death, and I wouldn't want that to happen to me."
Edinburgh Evening News
October 19, 2009
IT WAS once regarded as the refuge of those looking for alien conspiracies and somewhere to share their thoughts on the latest Star Wars movie, but today the internet – and social networking sites in particular – have truly broken over into the mainstream.
We are logging on in our millions, with age and gender no barrier.
So-called "silver surfers" are the latest to smash through the digital divide, with a new Ofcom report showing one in four in the 45-54 age group now belong to a social networking site – more than double the number of two years ago.
These figures come on the back of a looming postal strike, but with the population e-mailing in their droves, it has to be asked whether the Post Office is history anyway, destined to be sidelined in the on-going march of technology.
Post Office figures show that the size of its average daily mailbag has decreased by around 10 per cent in the last year, to just over 75 million items a day.
Meanwhile, it is estimated that the UK is currently sending around three billion e-mails every single day.
Dr Alistair Duff, a reader in information and journalism at Edinburgh Napier University and a leading expert on how information systems shape our society, thinks the figures showing the rise of the silver surfers are "significant but not surprising".
He said: "One of the main fears about the rise of the information age was the generation gap, and if that is dissolving it shows that we're moving forward.
"The fact that we now have 45-54-year-olds using the internet more often is not that surprising to me.
"First of all, late 40s to early 50s is not that old, and it has to be remembered that this is the generation that invented the internet. I'd be more interested to find out how many over-70s have social networking sites."
Internet uptake has continued beyond middle age, with figures showing that 8 per cent of over-55s now have a social network page.
While this is great news for social inclusion, it has been welcomed with less enthusiasm in the traditional communication industries, such as the Post Office.
The Communication Workers Union claims that the Royal Mail has rejected its proposals for modernising its workload while maintaining the staff.
The Royal Mail claims that it is the CWU that is resistant to change, and it is driving customers such as Amazon away with its continuing strike action. However, Royal Mail may be right to hold off on buying huge banks of parcel-sorting machines for the moment, as the items currently sent by companies like Amazon, such as music, movies and books, are being increasingly digitised and traded online, without the bulky media of CDs, DVDs and bound volumes.
In the Information Society, the information itself is fast becoming the key tradable commodity.
Some have argued that we are on the verge of an information revolution, a 21st-century communist dream where all information – the new currency – will be equally distributed amongst the masses.
Dr Duff added: "Some have speculated that if Karl Marx were around today, he would be writing "Das Information", rather than Das Kapital.
"Information is a new currency.
Every new technology has been met with resistance from the beginning of history, and has brought a great deal of strife as well as benefits, so you will see strikes of this kind.
"However, I am sympathetic to some of this resistance, because change has to be managed sensitively. It is still possible to have full employment in a high-tech society.
"The future of the Royal Mail has got to be multimedia. New media does not always displace old media. They can co-exist in the same way that radio has continued to co-exist with television.
"As the philosopher Marshall McLuhan said, 'the medium is the message'. A handwritten, hand-delivered letter will always say much more than an e-mail, text or tweet ever could."
Nowhere is this co-existence more in evidence than the humble telephone. The use of phones for texting has rocketed from 22 billion texts in 2003 to over 85 billion texts last year.
Latest Ofcom figures show that, despite this breakthrough in telephone technology, it's still good to talk. UK land-line calls have dropped 17 per cent in the last five years, but they have been replaced by a near doubling of mobile calls, which means that the overall number of calls made in the UK, on both land-line and mobile, has risen by 10 per cent.
Dr Duff added: "It's too early to say where all of these developments are leading. As for the ability of the Information Society to spark a revolution, I'm going to go for the academic cop out – sit on the fence and wait and see which way the wind is blowing. Many Old Testament prophets who were proved false were stoned to death, and I wouldn't want that to happen to me."
NEWS: That's a lot of deid chickens!!
Mark McLaughlin
Edinburgh Evening News
October 16, 2009
POLICE are investigating after 136,000 chickens were killed in a mystery break-in at a poultry farm on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
The birds are thought to have suffocated after the air supply to the sheds at the huge facility was shut down.
The motive for the attack on Beechgrove Farm, around two miles west of Balerno, is not known.
The farm's owner, meat-producing giant Vion Food Group, would not say what type of chickens were killed, how they were housed inside the sheds or exactly how much the break-in cost. However, experts have estimated the bill could run up to GBP 400,000.
A police spokesman confirmed an investigation was under way.
"A total of 12 sheds containing live chickens were broken into, and the environmental controls tampered with, causing the deaths of approximately 136,000 chickens.
"Police are appealing for anyone who has any information that can assist their inquiries to come forward."
It is unclear whether the break-in was the work of pranksters, but it is thought unlikely to be connected to animal rights groups.
Ross Minett, campaigns director with Advocates for Animals, said he was not aware of any targeted action against local farms or Vion Food Group as a whole.
Mr Minett said: "This is a dreadful incident and the scale of suffering is simply immense.
"It's hard to imagine why anyone would deliberately cause tens of thousands of birds to die an awful death from overheating and asphyxiation.
"Unfortunately, intensively-grown chickens crowded together in huge factories are terribly vulnerable to any interference with environmental controls, whether deliberately or by accident."
Farming experts said that the size and population of the sheds indicated that they were likely to be broiling chickens - normally packaged for consumption as roast chicken - meaning, depending on their age, they were worth up to GBP 400,000.
Rob Smith, group communications officer at Vion Food Group, said: "I can confirm that on the night of 17-18 August there was a break-in at Beechgrove Farm.
"Nothing was stolen, but the action of the culprits resulted in a high number of bird fatalities.
"A police investigation is presently under way and we are co-operating with their inquiries."
Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn added: "This was either an extremely callous or thoughtless act that has resulted in thousands of animals suffering what must have been a very uncomfortable and slow death filled with pain and fear.
"Whoever is responsible for this clearly showed no consideration for the welfare of the birds.
"Anyone with any information should contact the police."
Edinburgh Evening News
October 16, 2009
POLICE are investigating after 136,000 chickens were killed in a mystery break-in at a poultry farm on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
The birds are thought to have suffocated after the air supply to the sheds at the huge facility was shut down.
The motive for the attack on Beechgrove Farm, around two miles west of Balerno, is not known.
The farm's owner, meat-producing giant Vion Food Group, would not say what type of chickens were killed, how they were housed inside the sheds or exactly how much the break-in cost. However, experts have estimated the bill could run up to GBP 400,000.
A police spokesman confirmed an investigation was under way.
"A total of 12 sheds containing live chickens were broken into, and the environmental controls tampered with, causing the deaths of approximately 136,000 chickens.
"Police are appealing for anyone who has any information that can assist their inquiries to come forward."
It is unclear whether the break-in was the work of pranksters, but it is thought unlikely to be connected to animal rights groups.
Ross Minett, campaigns director with Advocates for Animals, said he was not aware of any targeted action against local farms or Vion Food Group as a whole.
Mr Minett said: "This is a dreadful incident and the scale of suffering is simply immense.
"It's hard to imagine why anyone would deliberately cause tens of thousands of birds to die an awful death from overheating and asphyxiation.
"Unfortunately, intensively-grown chickens crowded together in huge factories are terribly vulnerable to any interference with environmental controls, whether deliberately or by accident."
Farming experts said that the size and population of the sheds indicated that they were likely to be broiling chickens - normally packaged for consumption as roast chicken - meaning, depending on their age, they were worth up to GBP 400,000.
Rob Smith, group communications officer at Vion Food Group, said: "I can confirm that on the night of 17-18 August there was a break-in at Beechgrove Farm.
"Nothing was stolen, but the action of the culprits resulted in a high number of bird fatalities.
"A police investigation is presently under way and we are co-operating with their inquiries."
Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn added: "This was either an extremely callous or thoughtless act that has resulted in thousands of animals suffering what must have been a very uncomfortable and slow death filled with pain and fear.
"Whoever is responsible for this clearly showed no consideration for the welfare of the birds.
"Anyone with any information should contact the police."
FEATURE: An American director in Edinburgh
Mark McLaughlin
Edinburgh Evening News
October 15, 2009
THE chance to entertain a mysterious American guest turned out to be a thriller for two Old Town tour guides.
Stuart Nicoll and John Baxter were intrigued when the famous Ealing Studios asked to book "a client" on one of their Burke and Hare murder tours.
But they could hardly believe their eyes when film great John Landis - the director of Michael Jackson's Thriller video and a string of hit films including An American Werewolf in London - turned up.
The celebrated director was visiting the Capital to scout for locations for his forthcoming comic-horror take on the famous West Port murderers.
Mr Nicoll, 28, of Abbeyhill, co-owner of The West Port Tours, said: "I clocked him right away because I'm a big fan of Trading Places and Coming to America.
"He said he was only there for the night and he had to fly out to America the following day.
"Obviously the subject matter of the tour is dark and scary, so it was great to show him around.
"John took him up to Greyfriars Kirkyard to set the scene. He explained about the demand for bodies at the medical school that led some to go grave-robbing and ultimately led Burke and Hare to commit their murders.
"He loved the atmosphere of the place.
"We made it clear that Burke and Hare weren't actually grave-robbers, a common mistake that we wouldn't want to see repeated on film.
"Then we took him to the Grassmarket and up to the West Port to show him the site of the old Tanner's Close, where they carried out their murders."
Mr Baxter, 23, of Musselburgh, was a bit less fazed by Landis' arrival - as he wasn't really sure who he was.
He said: "I'd heard the name but the only film I could place him on was Beverly Hills Cop III, and it was only when I Googled him that I released how big he is.
"The tour lasted about an hour-and-a-half longer than usual because the location scouts wanted to take their time, and they couldn't agree on anything.
"Landis was particularly interested in Burke's hanging site on Parliament Square, but there was some talk of them moving it to the Grassmarket in the film."
The tour guides were approached before they had even launched their new Burke and Hare Murder Tours, which are due to start on 26 October, after Ealing Studios found their website.
They arranged a private tour which ended up lasting three hours.
Both men are now angling for a cameo in the film, with Mr Nicoll hoping to portray murder witness Hugh Alston, and Mr Baxter eyeing the role of the Rymer's Bar landlord who unwittingly plied the murderers' victims with drink.
An Ealing Studios spokesman said that pre-production shooting on the film will begin in November, with Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg lined up for one of the roles.
But he dismissed suggestions that Bathgate-born Doctor Who star David Tennant would play Hare to Pegg's Burke as "a rumour".
He added: "John Landis found the recce with West Port Tours really useful and inspiring."
Edinburgh Evening News
October 15, 2009
THE chance to entertain a mysterious American guest turned out to be a thriller for two Old Town tour guides.
Stuart Nicoll and John Baxter were intrigued when the famous Ealing Studios asked to book "a client" on one of their Burke and Hare murder tours.
But they could hardly believe their eyes when film great John Landis - the director of Michael Jackson's Thriller video and a string of hit films including An American Werewolf in London - turned up.
The celebrated director was visiting the Capital to scout for locations for his forthcoming comic-horror take on the famous West Port murderers.
Mr Nicoll, 28, of Abbeyhill, co-owner of The West Port Tours, said: "I clocked him right away because I'm a big fan of Trading Places and Coming to America.
"He said he was only there for the night and he had to fly out to America the following day.
"Obviously the subject matter of the tour is dark and scary, so it was great to show him around.
"John took him up to Greyfriars Kirkyard to set the scene. He explained about the demand for bodies at the medical school that led some to go grave-robbing and ultimately led Burke and Hare to commit their murders.
"He loved the atmosphere of the place.
"We made it clear that Burke and Hare weren't actually grave-robbers, a common mistake that we wouldn't want to see repeated on film.
"Then we took him to the Grassmarket and up to the West Port to show him the site of the old Tanner's Close, where they carried out their murders."
Mr Baxter, 23, of Musselburgh, was a bit less fazed by Landis' arrival - as he wasn't really sure who he was.
He said: "I'd heard the name but the only film I could place him on was Beverly Hills Cop III, and it was only when I Googled him that I released how big he is.
"The tour lasted about an hour-and-a-half longer than usual because the location scouts wanted to take their time, and they couldn't agree on anything.
"Landis was particularly interested in Burke's hanging site on Parliament Square, but there was some talk of them moving it to the Grassmarket in the film."
The tour guides were approached before they had even launched their new Burke and Hare Murder Tours, which are due to start on 26 October, after Ealing Studios found their website.
They arranged a private tour which ended up lasting three hours.
Both men are now angling for a cameo in the film, with Mr Nicoll hoping to portray murder witness Hugh Alston, and Mr Baxter eyeing the role of the Rymer's Bar landlord who unwittingly plied the murderers' victims with drink.
An Ealing Studios spokesman said that pre-production shooting on the film will begin in November, with Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg lined up for one of the roles.
But he dismissed suggestions that Bathgate-born Doctor Who star David Tennant would play Hare to Pegg's Burke as "a rumour".
He added: "John Landis found the recce with West Port Tours really useful and inspiring."
NEWS: Samantha Wright: sadly no longer missing
Mark McLaughlin
Edinburgh Evening News
October 13, 2009
A 57-YEAR-OLD man was charged today following the discovery of human remains buried in the garden of a house in the Duddingston area of the city.
Police investigating the disappearance of Samantha Wright, 25, spent yesterday searching the property in Magdalene Drive.
Miss Wright was last seen alive as she made her way home from the Jobcentre at High Riggs in Edinburgh on 12 June last year.
But she was not reported missing until February this year, after her family raised the alarm when she failed to contact them at Christmas or on her birthday on 5 January.
She left behind all her belongings at her rented home in Stevenson Drive, Saughton. And since she went missing, no cash has been withdrawn from her bank account and she has not used her mobile phone.
Earlier this year, police discovered CCTV footage showing Miss Wright in Hanover Street and an older man walking with her.
Originally from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Miss Wright moved to the Capital about four years ago after falling in love with the city on a family holiday.
She worked as a waitress in the city, but later lived a "haphazard" lifestyle, with few friends or established places to visit.
Her mother, Catherine Gibson, had previously spoken of her fears her daughter would not be traced alive and knowing she was missing was "like a headache that won't go away".
"We don't know what to think, some of the thoughts that go through my mind are horrible," Ms Gibson said earlier this year.
Residents of Magdalene Drive awoke yesterday morning to find the ground-floor property cordoned off by police tape. Throughout the day, special operations officers and forensics teams arrived to carry out a thorough search of the house and its front and back gardens.
Police confirmed late last night they had found what they believed to be human remains.
A spokesman said: "Inquiries at Magdalene Drive are at an early stage and a full forensic recovery has to be undertaken to determine identity traits, including gender, age and origin.
"Lothian and Borders Police currently have a number of missing persons inquiries and it is too soon to speculate as to the possible identity of these remains."
Early today, police said that a man had been charged in connection with the discovery.
A statement said: "A 57-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the discovery of human remains at a domestic property in Magdalene Drive, Edinburgh.
"A full forensic examination to identify the remains is being undertaken."
The man is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow.
Edinburgh Evening News
October 13, 2009
A 57-YEAR-OLD man was charged today following the discovery of human remains buried in the garden of a house in the Duddingston area of the city.
Police investigating the disappearance of Samantha Wright, 25, spent yesterday searching the property in Magdalene Drive.
Miss Wright was last seen alive as she made her way home from the Jobcentre at High Riggs in Edinburgh on 12 June last year.
But she was not reported missing until February this year, after her family raised the alarm when she failed to contact them at Christmas or on her birthday on 5 January.
She left behind all her belongings at her rented home in Stevenson Drive, Saughton. And since she went missing, no cash has been withdrawn from her bank account and she has not used her mobile phone.
Earlier this year, police discovered CCTV footage showing Miss Wright in Hanover Street and an older man walking with her.
Originally from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Miss Wright moved to the Capital about four years ago after falling in love with the city on a family holiday.
She worked as a waitress in the city, but later lived a "haphazard" lifestyle, with few friends or established places to visit.
Her mother, Catherine Gibson, had previously spoken of her fears her daughter would not be traced alive and knowing she was missing was "like a headache that won't go away".
"We don't know what to think, some of the thoughts that go through my mind are horrible," Ms Gibson said earlier this year.
Residents of Magdalene Drive awoke yesterday morning to find the ground-floor property cordoned off by police tape. Throughout the day, special operations officers and forensics teams arrived to carry out a thorough search of the house and its front and back gardens.
Police confirmed late last night they had found what they believed to be human remains.
A spokesman said: "Inquiries at Magdalene Drive are at an early stage and a full forensic recovery has to be undertaken to determine identity traits, including gender, age and origin.
"Lothian and Borders Police currently have a number of missing persons inquiries and it is too soon to speculate as to the possible identity of these remains."
Early today, police said that a man had been charged in connection with the discovery.
A statement said: "A 57-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the discovery of human remains at a domestic property in Magdalene Drive, Edinburgh.
"A full forensic examination to identify the remains is being undertaken."
The man is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow.
NEWS: The truth is out there?
Mark McLaughlin
Edinburgh Evening News
October 9, 2009
IT HAS already become Lothian's most famous X-File - and now it's set to feature on the big screen.
The claims by two Edinburgh friends that they were abducted by aliens while driving in 1992 have become the stuff of legend and fierce debate.
In what has become known as the "A70 Abduction Case" Garry Wood and Colin Wright have stood by their incredible story ever since.
The pair are now working with a London production company which is finalising a script to turn their close encounter into a film.
"It's such a fantastic story and I was attracted to it from the first time I heard it," said film producer Dionne Rose, who is financing the film through her company DBR Entertainment.
"I had seen the film Fire in the Sky [based on the experiences of American logger Travis Walton who was purportedly abducted in 1975] which has similarities but Colin and Garry's experience did have unique elements to it."
The two friends have told over the years how they encountered the flying saucer on the A70 near the Harperrig Reservoir, a few miles west of Balerno. The pair drove beneath it in an attempt to get away, and were enveloped in a shimmering energy beam.
When they arrived at their destination in Tarbrax village, about five miles from Harperrig, they were an hour and a half late and could not account for the time.
Medical checks failed to find a cause for the memory lapse, or the severe headaches both men had developed, but hypnotherapy sessions brought forth memories of alien experiments conducted by a translucent-grey, skeletal creature.
Gilmerton mechanic and car-enthusiast Garry, whose workmates took to calling him "Starman", went on to pass a televised lie detector test, and the men's experiences pre-date the spate of alien abduction claims which were sparked by the X-Files television series in the mid-90s.
Shortly after their experience the pair visited paranormal investigator Malcolm Robinson, who was based in Alloa at the time but now lives in London, and he convinced them to go through hypnotic regression.
"These guys were desperate for anything to explain what happened to them," said Mr Robinson, who is also working on the film.
"Under hypnosis they described tall grey creatures quite unique from standard abductee descriptions of five-foot childlike aliens.
"Garry, who's from quite a tough part of Edinburgh, told me that he was strapped to a table with these things prodding him and he desperately wanted to take a swing at one of them.
"It's such a great premise for a film and we're currently going through script negotiations with Colin and Garry to make sure they're happy with everything. I hope they don't add too much salt and pepper to it and make it another Braveheart, based on fact but 80 per cent inaccurate.
"People have asked me who I would like and I usually say Ewan McGregor, although I had a moustache in those days so he'd have to grow one. Colin and Garry are such down-to-earth guys it's hard to imagine any famous actors playing them."
Neither Colin nor Garry wanted to comment on the film plans.
Edinburgh Evening News
October 9, 2009
IT HAS already become Lothian's most famous X-File - and now it's set to feature on the big screen.
The claims by two Edinburgh friends that they were abducted by aliens while driving in 1992 have become the stuff of legend and fierce debate.
In what has become known as the "A70 Abduction Case" Garry Wood and Colin Wright have stood by their incredible story ever since.
The pair are now working with a London production company which is finalising a script to turn their close encounter into a film.
"It's such a fantastic story and I was attracted to it from the first time I heard it," said film producer Dionne Rose, who is financing the film through her company DBR Entertainment.
"I had seen the film Fire in the Sky [based on the experiences of American logger Travis Walton who was purportedly abducted in 1975] which has similarities but Colin and Garry's experience did have unique elements to it."
The two friends have told over the years how they encountered the flying saucer on the A70 near the Harperrig Reservoir, a few miles west of Balerno. The pair drove beneath it in an attempt to get away, and were enveloped in a shimmering energy beam.
When they arrived at their destination in Tarbrax village, about five miles from Harperrig, they were an hour and a half late and could not account for the time.
Medical checks failed to find a cause for the memory lapse, or the severe headaches both men had developed, but hypnotherapy sessions brought forth memories of alien experiments conducted by a translucent-grey, skeletal creature.
Gilmerton mechanic and car-enthusiast Garry, whose workmates took to calling him "Starman", went on to pass a televised lie detector test, and the men's experiences pre-date the spate of alien abduction claims which were sparked by the X-Files television series in the mid-90s.
Shortly after their experience the pair visited paranormal investigator Malcolm Robinson, who was based in Alloa at the time but now lives in London, and he convinced them to go through hypnotic regression.
"These guys were desperate for anything to explain what happened to them," said Mr Robinson, who is also working on the film.
"Under hypnosis they described tall grey creatures quite unique from standard abductee descriptions of five-foot childlike aliens.
"Garry, who's from quite a tough part of Edinburgh, told me that he was strapped to a table with these things prodding him and he desperately wanted to take a swing at one of them.
"It's such a great premise for a film and we're currently going through script negotiations with Colin and Garry to make sure they're happy with everything. I hope they don't add too much salt and pepper to it and make it another Braveheart, based on fact but 80 per cent inaccurate.
"People have asked me who I would like and I usually say Ewan McGregor, although I had a moustache in those days so he'd have to grow one. Colin and Garry are such down-to-earth guys it's hard to imagine any famous actors playing them."
Neither Colin nor Garry wanted to comment on the film plans.
FEATURE: Angels of Sumatra
Mark McLaughlin
Edinburgh Evening News
October 8, 2009
WORKERS from an Edinburgh-based disaster-relief charity have been credited with saving hundreds of lives in last week's Indonesian earthquake.
Mercy Corps aid worker Dr Jim Jarvie, who arrived in the stricken Sumatran capital Padang this week, said the body count would have been far higher had it not been for special disaster risk reduction courses which the charity has run in the area.
Mercy Corps, which set up its headquarters in Sciennes earlier this year, is one of the few international aid agencies that has a constant presence in Sumatra.
Dr Jarvie, 50, who is currently based in Italy but frequently returns to visit his family in North Berwick, said the villages that received Mercy Corps training suffered only one fatality.
Speaking from the heart of the disaster zone, Dr Jarvie told the Evening News: "I arrived to find that 90 per cent of the houses in one village had been destroyed, but remarkably only one person had been killed out of a population of between 450 to 500 families. It was an elderly man in his 70s.
"The people living in Indonesia know they're living on a major fault line so they're aware that an earthquake could hit at any time.
"My colleagues who were working in these villages said that nobody panicked, because they all knew what to do thanks to the Mercy Corps DRR courses.
"Everybody was given disaster assembly points for regrouping, and they worked very effectively."
Dr Jarvie, a biologist with more than a decade of experience in south-east Asia, was sent to contribute his language skills and his wealth of local knowledge to the disaster relief efforts.
He first visited Indonesia 14 years ago on a Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) programme to help find a solution to a plant disease that was devastating the region's spice industry.
He said: "There was a disease that was killing off the region's cloves, the local spice that's commonly used to make mulled wine in Britain.
"It's a vital part of Indonesia's economy so the UK government sent over a task force to scour the region for unaffected clove relatives to use as grafts."
He joined Mercy Corps immediately after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Sri Lanka, where he was based at the time.
After two years of working on tsunami response, he took on a role as the agency's director of climate change, environment and natural resource management.
He added: "Through my experience in Indonesia I was able to learn the language, which is a great skill to have at a time like this because it allows me to walk into the villages and communicate directly with the people there to find out what they need.
"There are several other NGOs [non-governmental organisations] out here at the moment and there's a United Nations coordination team working to bring it all together.
"The earthquake was very selective in the areas it affected, so some parts have been totally wiped out while others are still standing. It's like patchwork destruction.
"The confirmed death toll is currently around 700, but there are many more missing and in the end it could reach into the thousands."
Edinburgh Evening News
October 8, 2009
WORKERS from an Edinburgh-based disaster-relief charity have been credited with saving hundreds of lives in last week's Indonesian earthquake.
Mercy Corps aid worker Dr Jim Jarvie, who arrived in the stricken Sumatran capital Padang this week, said the body count would have been far higher had it not been for special disaster risk reduction courses which the charity has run in the area.
Mercy Corps, which set up its headquarters in Sciennes earlier this year, is one of the few international aid agencies that has a constant presence in Sumatra.
Dr Jarvie, 50, who is currently based in Italy but frequently returns to visit his family in North Berwick, said the villages that received Mercy Corps training suffered only one fatality.
Speaking from the heart of the disaster zone, Dr Jarvie told the Evening News: "I arrived to find that 90 per cent of the houses in one village had been destroyed, but remarkably only one person had been killed out of a population of between 450 to 500 families. It was an elderly man in his 70s.
"The people living in Indonesia know they're living on a major fault line so they're aware that an earthquake could hit at any time.
"My colleagues who were working in these villages said that nobody panicked, because they all knew what to do thanks to the Mercy Corps DRR courses.
"Everybody was given disaster assembly points for regrouping, and they worked very effectively."
Dr Jarvie, a biologist with more than a decade of experience in south-east Asia, was sent to contribute his language skills and his wealth of local knowledge to the disaster relief efforts.
He first visited Indonesia 14 years ago on a Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) programme to help find a solution to a plant disease that was devastating the region's spice industry.
He said: "There was a disease that was killing off the region's cloves, the local spice that's commonly used to make mulled wine in Britain.
"It's a vital part of Indonesia's economy so the UK government sent over a task force to scour the region for unaffected clove relatives to use as grafts."
He joined Mercy Corps immediately after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Sri Lanka, where he was based at the time.
After two years of working on tsunami response, he took on a role as the agency's director of climate change, environment and natural resource management.
He added: "Through my experience in Indonesia I was able to learn the language, which is a great skill to have at a time like this because it allows me to walk into the villages and communicate directly with the people there to find out what they need.
"There are several other NGOs [non-governmental organisations] out here at the moment and there's a United Nations coordination team working to bring it all together.
"The earthquake was very selective in the areas it affected, so some parts have been totally wiped out while others are still standing. It's like patchwork destruction.
"The confirmed death toll is currently around 700, but there are many more missing and in the end it could reach into the thousands."
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