Today I listened to...
Monday, 28 June 2010
Saturday, 26 June 2010
READING: Endorsement
Received a very welcome endorsement from Jean Sasson following my review of her book Growing Up Bin Laden:
"Hi Mark, Thanks for your very insightful comments on Growing Up Bin Laden.
"As someone who became quite close to my hero/heroine, I think you have very precisely hit the nail on the head.
"Cheerio, Jean Sasson."
It's good to know I'm not shouting into a void. Cheers, Jean.
"Hi Mark, Thanks for your very insightful comments on Growing Up Bin Laden.
"As someone who became quite close to my hero/heroine, I think you have very precisely hit the nail on the head.
"Cheerio, Jean Sasson."
It's good to know I'm not shouting into a void. Cheers, Jean.
Friday, 25 June 2010
READING: Sasson & Bin Ladin: Growing Up Bin Laden
Jean Sasson with Najwa & Omar Bin LadenGrowing Up Bin Laden: Osama’s Wife and Son Take Us Inside Their Secret World
2009
THOSE that maintain fictional novels more entertaining or diverting than non-fiction – particularly “heavy” non-fiction on terrorism, Islam and geopolitics – should read Growing Up Bin Laden.
There are those who would never consider reading a book with Bin Laden’s name on the cover, but think nothing of devouring Khaled Hosseini’s fictional Afghan tales The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns because they saw them on Richard & Judy.
Growing Up Bin Laden seems tailor-made for such reading groups. It looks, feels and reads like a Hosseini novel and confirms that many of his semi-fictional plot devices [coming of age in an Afghan war zone / dodging male-rape gangs / living with an austere and abusive husband and father] to be based in fact.
“There was a sickening incident when [my friend]...was abducted and brutally gang raped. The rapists added insult to injury by snapping photographs of the young man during and after the rape.
“Those damning photographs ended up in the hand of Dr. [Ayman] Zawahiri, the leader of the al-Jihad group [and later founder member of Al-Qaida]. Zawahiri was incensed, believing that the young teenage boy was somehow at fault. There were pictures to prove it! In our world, sex between men is punishable by death...He was arrested by the group leaders, put on trial, and condemned to death.” (Omar Bin Laden)
“My brothers and I all suffered from asthma...but my father was adamant that we should not take modern prescription drugs, no matter how serious our affliction...
“After only a month in Jalalabad, [Osama] announced that we were travelling to Tora Bora [the Bin Ladins’ Afghan mountain home with a name that means ‘Black Dust’].
“I was foolish not to have sneaked my medicine past my father, for my breathing difficulties were becoming worse with each passing day...Once when gasping, I though I caught the scent of grave dirt. I was ready to trade my share of the bin Laden mountain for a single puff from my inhaler.” (Omar)
I read this book looking for some semblance of humanity in Bin Laden, the man who orchestrated the murder of 2,976 people in New York and many more elsewhere under the pretence of protecting his home and allies from foreign influence and spreading his religion with missionary zeal, aims which are not too dissimilar from warmongering fundamentalists in the USA, Israel and other countries that the UK regards as allies rather than terrorists.
However, in Growing Up Bin Laden I failed to find a modern-day Saladin defending Islam from modern day Crusaders, but a sociopath who used his money, family connections, influence and war-hero status to bend people to his own warped worldview.
Najwa Bin Laden, the first of Osama’s five wives [arguably six if you count one “unconsummated” annulment], introduces her cousin Osama as a quiet, surly and serious teenager. Her love for him is palpable throughout the book and she refuses to criticise him directly, but her insights and those of her favourite son Omar, who is less reserved with his criticism, reveal the inner-rage that would turn Osama into a monster.
Critics of Islam should note that in this book Osama’s rage against the world doesn’t appear rooted in his fanatical religious devotion, although this undoubtedly plays a part, but in a complex psychology and dysfunctional family background similar to many other run-of-the-mill sociopaths. Osama comes across as an unappreciated war hero and bitter exile, harbouring resentment of being both an unloved middle-child and product of an abandoned single-mother*. If he grew up in America he would be Rambo [the original “don’t push me or I’ll give you a war” psycho in First Blood rather than the anaemic hero of the sequels], but equally if he grew up in Kilmarnock he’d be skinning up joints in The Scheme before signing up to the army to shoot “rag-heads”
*Osama is 18th son of 22 sons and 23 daughters born to Mohammed Bin Laden, and the only child from Mohammed’s short lived marriage to Allia Ghanem. Following his role in Afghanistan’s expulsion of Russia in the 1980s Osama was welcomed back to Saudi Arabia as a war hero, but soon exiled to Sudan for his objection to the USA’s protection of the kingdom in the first Gulf War, and later back to Afghanistan when he was subsequently kicked out by the Sudanese.
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
DIGEST: 23 June 2010
Today I listened to:
BBC Radio Scotland: Old Hack, New Tricks
"Newsgathering is not what it used to be. Once upon a time newspaper journalists used to find their stories by getting out and about, pounding the streets, knocking on doors, and getting tip offs from ordinary people. Now they sit in offices peering at computer terminals. But which method delivers the best stories?"
It was good to hear from Jim Rougvie again (an old colleague from my Dundee Courier days), although I thought the young BBC lad was in for a bit of an unfair fight. Jim's an old hand but the BBC lad wasn't just less experienced at newsgathering, he didn't seem to know his way around the Internet either. There's more to Internet newsgathering than a few tweets and a glance at the council website.
BBC Radio Scotland: Old Hack, New Tricks
"Newsgathering is not what it used to be. Once upon a time newspaper journalists used to find their stories by getting out and about, pounding the streets, knocking on doors, and getting tip offs from ordinary people. Now they sit in offices peering at computer terminals. But which method delivers the best stories?"
It was good to hear from Jim Rougvie again (an old colleague from my Dundee Courier days), although I thought the young BBC lad was in for a bit of an unfair fight. Jim's an old hand but the BBC lad wasn't just less experienced at newsgathering, he didn't seem to know his way around the Internet either. There's more to Internet newsgathering than a few tweets and a glance at the council website.
Monday, 21 June 2010
DIGEST: 21 June 2010
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Daily Digest
21 June 2010
I've decided to start a new digest of my own daily reading. Like the book reviews in the Personal Reading section, it should give an idea of what I'm reading when I'm not reporting on Edinburgh. Given that I don't get much time to read these articles while I'm busy writing others, let alone blog them, I'll need to see how regularly I can keep this up.
General Franco gave list of Spanish Jews to Nazis (The Guardian)
It was the list that would have sent thousands more Jews to their deaths in Auschwitz and other extermination camps run by Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime during the second world war, but this time the victims were to be Spaniards.
Israel bows to pressure and agrees to ease Gaza blockade (The Guardian)
Israel agreed tonight to a significant easing of its blockade of Gaza, under intense pressure from the international community after its deadly interception last month of boats attempting to break the siege.
Plan to pump water into Dead Sea makes environmentalists see red (The Guardian)
The gradual disappearance of the Dead Sea has alarmed environmentalists, industrialists and tourist authorities for years. It has been caused mainly by three countries – Israel, Jordan and Syria – diverting an astonishing 98% of its source, the once-surging Jordan river, to provide water for their citizens.
Daily Digest
21 June 2010
I've decided to start a new digest of my own daily reading. Like the book reviews in the Personal Reading section, it should give an idea of what I'm reading when I'm not reporting on Edinburgh. Given that I don't get much time to read these articles while I'm busy writing others, let alone blog them, I'll need to see how regularly I can keep this up.
General Franco gave list of Spanish Jews to Nazis (The Guardian)
It was the list that would have sent thousands more Jews to their deaths in Auschwitz and other extermination camps run by Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime during the second world war, but this time the victims were to be Spaniards.
Israel bows to pressure and agrees to ease Gaza blockade (The Guardian)
Israel agreed tonight to a significant easing of its blockade of Gaza, under intense pressure from the international community after its deadly interception last month of boats attempting to break the siege.
Plan to pump water into Dead Sea makes environmentalists see red (The Guardian)
The gradual disappearance of the Dead Sea has alarmed environmentalists, industrialists and tourist authorities for years. It has been caused mainly by three countries – Israel, Jordan and Syria – diverting an astonishing 98% of its source, the once-surging Jordan river, to provide water for their citizens.
NEWS: Costly "Rolls Royce repairs" on Edinburgh houses
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 21, 2010, Monday
THERE have been calls for an inquiry into whether the city council is over-using its powers to force repairs on properties - after it emerged almost £30 million worth of work is currently underway in the city.
The Capital is in the unique position of being able to hire contractors to carry out urgent work and then recover the cost from residents or businesses. The statutory notices are often issued when repairs need to be carried out to tenement properties where several owners are involved.
All other authorities have to carry out such repair work from their own budgets so while Edinburgh has 800 contracts ongoing worth £28 million, the rest of Scotland only has £1.3 million.
While the council said the special legislation is designed to "save the built environment of the city", Labour councillor Ewan Aitken said there were now too many cases causing "severe difficulties for staff and extreme distress for residents".
He said: "I have six cases in my ward where there has been a huge variation between estimates and actual cost, and in each case residents feel they have no say on how their money is being spent.
"In one case a few thousand pounds rose to over £250,000.
"Statutory notices are a tool to help maintain the built environment of our historic city in good condition but work loads across the city are causing huge problems for staff.
"This means that communication breaks down, residents feel ignored whilst costs go up and no one ends up happy with the outcome."
Councillor Aitken added: "I don't blame the staff.
"They have an impossible job without the resources to do the task they have been given. A fundamental review is needed."
Councillor Aitken is set to forward a motion calling on the council to recognise the heavy burden of the statutory notice policy, and conduct a full review of the process.
The Labour councillor's call was echoed by the SNP's Stefan Tymkewycz, who has also questioned the existing process.
He said he received many complaints from Edinburgh residents regarding work carried out by the council's building conservation department through statutory notices.
A recent case came to light when the councillor was overseeing work being carried out on a community centre and when he questioned an item of work on the schedule costing GBP 1,368, he said it was removed from the schedule because it was "a mistake".
Councillor Tymkewycz said: "Through my own limited experience of the building trade I understood the technical jargon quoted on the schedule of works and spotted this item on the schedule and questioned it.
"I am left wondering if this and other items of work on this specific job were not challenged if these costs running into thousands of pounds would have been included in the final bill and how widespread are these 'mistakes' made?"
Cllr Tymkewycz also said that some of the complaints he receives refer to work that appears over priced and will be seeking a review of the tendering process to ensure that residents are receiving value for money.
A council spokeswoman said: "We are the only Council in the UK which has special powers to recover costs and we use Statutory Notices to proactively save the built environment of the city."
'We're paying for a Rolls Royce service'
WHEN Emma Jane Condon noticed a leak in the ceiling of her Queen's Park Avenue tenement, the neighbours couldn't agree on a price and the council took out a statutory repair notice.
Ms Condon, 41, said: "The council's tender to fix the roof was around GBP 6,000, double our original estimate, and of course once they got going they started to notice all sorts of problems that needed fixing.
"They told us that the rendering also needed repaired, but without consulting residents their contractors went out and bought a quarter of a million pounds worth of sandstone.
"The cost to each tenant has now shot up to £18,000. We're being asked to pay for a Rolls Royce service."
The council said it could not comment on individual cases.
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 21, 2010, Monday
THERE have been calls for an inquiry into whether the city council is over-using its powers to force repairs on properties - after it emerged almost £30 million worth of work is currently underway in the city.
The Capital is in the unique position of being able to hire contractors to carry out urgent work and then recover the cost from residents or businesses. The statutory notices are often issued when repairs need to be carried out to tenement properties where several owners are involved.
All other authorities have to carry out such repair work from their own budgets so while Edinburgh has 800 contracts ongoing worth £28 million, the rest of Scotland only has £1.3 million.
While the council said the special legislation is designed to "save the built environment of the city", Labour councillor Ewan Aitken said there were now too many cases causing "severe difficulties for staff and extreme distress for residents".
He said: "I have six cases in my ward where there has been a huge variation between estimates and actual cost, and in each case residents feel they have no say on how their money is being spent.
"In one case a few thousand pounds rose to over £250,000.
"Statutory notices are a tool to help maintain the built environment of our historic city in good condition but work loads across the city are causing huge problems for staff.
"This means that communication breaks down, residents feel ignored whilst costs go up and no one ends up happy with the outcome."
Councillor Aitken added: "I don't blame the staff.
"They have an impossible job without the resources to do the task they have been given. A fundamental review is needed."
Councillor Aitken is set to forward a motion calling on the council to recognise the heavy burden of the statutory notice policy, and conduct a full review of the process.
The Labour councillor's call was echoed by the SNP's Stefan Tymkewycz, who has also questioned the existing process.
He said he received many complaints from Edinburgh residents regarding work carried out by the council's building conservation department through statutory notices.
A recent case came to light when the councillor was overseeing work being carried out on a community centre and when he questioned an item of work on the schedule costing GBP 1,368, he said it was removed from the schedule because it was "a mistake".
Councillor Tymkewycz said: "Through my own limited experience of the building trade I understood the technical jargon quoted on the schedule of works and spotted this item on the schedule and questioned it.
"I am left wondering if this and other items of work on this specific job were not challenged if these costs running into thousands of pounds would have been included in the final bill and how widespread are these 'mistakes' made?"
Cllr Tymkewycz also said that some of the complaints he receives refer to work that appears over priced and will be seeking a review of the tendering process to ensure that residents are receiving value for money.
A council spokeswoman said: "We are the only Council in the UK which has special powers to recover costs and we use Statutory Notices to proactively save the built environment of the city."
'We're paying for a Rolls Royce service'
WHEN Emma Jane Condon noticed a leak in the ceiling of her Queen's Park Avenue tenement, the neighbours couldn't agree on a price and the council took out a statutory repair notice.
Ms Condon, 41, said: "The council's tender to fix the roof was around GBP 6,000, double our original estimate, and of course once they got going they started to notice all sorts of problems that needed fixing.
"They told us that the rendering also needed repaired, but without consulting residents their contractors went out and bought a quarter of a million pounds worth of sandstone.
"The cost to each tenant has now shot up to £18,000. We're being asked to pay for a Rolls Royce service."
The council said it could not comment on individual cases.
NEWS: That's one way to beat Edinburgh's blue meanies
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 19, 2010, Saturday
IT LOOKS like an innovative way to beat the city's parking enforcers.
An overturned car that seems to have ended up wedged down a hole outside the Roxy Art House has been bemusing passers-by for the last week.
It is actually the latest project by Edinburgh College of Art graduate Jake Rusby.
The artist has already confounded passers-by with an unexplained rock above the door of ECA which appeared set to crush departing students last winter, but unlike the ECA rock - which was made of polystyrene and insulation board - the Roxy car is real.
However, Mr Rusby, 24, from Marchmont, was keen to avoid spoiling the mystery.
He said: "I never like to give too much away about my arts projects, which is why I haven't included a plaque or any other explanatory material.
"I like to let people sit and ponder it.
"I was approached to find something to fill the space outside the Roxy, and I had this car that I wanted to get rid of, so everything came together. The car fits really well into the space."
The car, which was put into place on Roxburgh Place using a crane, has had its engine removed and is destined for the scrap heap once the installation is over. It will, however, be around long enough to confound thousands from around the world who will be visiting Edinburgh for the Festival.
Mr Rusby added: "I tend to get inspiration by just walking around the city and imagining how I can fit strange things in unusual places. There's quite a bit of daydreaming involved.
"I like to create art in public spaces so I can engage with a range of people, not just those who are into art.
"The ECA rock was really well received. I was hoping to keep it there, but health and safety wouldn't allow it. It was interesting to hear people talking about it down the local pub, wondering what it was and why it was there.
"I only put the car in place on Monday so I've yet to get a full reaction, but there were a few confused faces when I was putting it in there."
The installation - entitled Joyriding - is the centrepiece of the Embassy Gallery's Annuale summer exhibition, which opened last night at the Roxy with a party hosted by Radio Scotland DJ Vic Galloway.
Curator Ben Fallon said: "The Embassy Gallery has been going for the last seven years, and the Annuale has been a central part of our work throughout that time.
"It's essentially an open forum for people that don't work in the art world full time, although there are a few professional artists exhibiting and we have people coming over from Paris, and from Leeds, Newcastle and Manchester."
NEWS: A death on the stairs
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 19, 2010, Saturday
A MAN has died after apparently falling down the stairs at home in a tragic accident.
The 34-year-old suffered fatal head injuries in the freak accident at his home in Little France.
Police are still investigating the death but do not believe that there are any suspicious circumstances. One neighbour in Upper Craigour said the quiet street had been left in shock as police and forensic officers descended on the house.
"He had only been in the area about six months, and just kept himself to himself.
"I think he had a partner and a daughter. No-one here has been told for definite what happened to him, but I've heard that he fell down the stairs."
Forensics officers were still on the scene yesterday following the death on Wednesday, but sources said the case was being treated as a "tragic accident".
A police spokeswoman said: "Police are investigating following the death of a 34-year-old man after he suffered a head injury inside his house in Upper Craigour."
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 19, 2010, Saturday
A MAN has died after apparently falling down the stairs at home in a tragic accident.
The 34-year-old suffered fatal head injuries in the freak accident at his home in Little France.
Police are still investigating the death but do not believe that there are any suspicious circumstances. One neighbour in Upper Craigour said the quiet street had been left in shock as police and forensic officers descended on the house.
"He had only been in the area about six months, and just kept himself to himself.
"I think he had a partner and a daughter. No-one here has been told for definite what happened to him, but I've heard that he fell down the stairs."
Forensics officers were still on the scene yesterday following the death on Wednesday, but sources said the case was being treated as a "tragic accident".
A police spokeswoman said: "Police are investigating following the death of a 34-year-old man after he suffered a head injury inside his house in Upper Craigour."
NEWS: A ghostly speir through the heart of Linwood?
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 15, 2010, Tuesday
I really enjoyed this one, especially as it allowed me to examine the history of my hometown of Linwood (yes, like most Evening Newsers I'm not originally from Edinburgh - but I've lived herE for over seven years) and get it in the Edinburgh Evening News.
It was also quite funny writing another story about another ghost being blamed for economic misfortune after hearing chef Rosario Sartore's fears that a ghost may have been to blame for the failure of his Broughton restaurant Bella Mbriana.
Town haunted by fears of curse as crypt to be opened
SHE was a member of one of the biggest landowning families in Scotland - but more than a century after her death her name is said with fear, not reverence.
Talk of Lady Anne Speirs still sends shivers down the spines of the people of Linwood, who blame her "curse" for 30 years of economic misfortune.
And now superstitious locals are warning that soon to be approved plans to move the remains of five people from a mausoleum and reunite them with their descendents in North Berwick will bring tragedy to the Renfrewshire town.
Linwood legend maintains that Lady Anne Speirs pledged a curse on anyone who disturbs the crypt.
That is unlikely to stop supermarket giant Tesco however, which is planning to move the remains to the East Lothian town to make way for a new supermarket and community facilities which it believes could regenerate the area.
The origin of the curse is shrouded in mystery, but the "wrath" of Lady Anne was first said to have been incurred in the early 1980s with the closure of the Rootes Car Plant, Linwood's main employer. The plant was built over the crypt and ceased operations in 1981.
The crypt was recently rediscovered by contractors working for Tesco.
It immediately moved to have the bodies disinterred, but a court order stalled the development after a judge ruled that the supermarket chain must wait 42 days for representations to be received from the local community.
Some locals said it is further evidence the remains should not be removed.
Iain Wilson, secretary of Linwood Community Council, said of the curse:
"It's a bit of a joke for most people but there are those that do believe it, and are keen to ascribe all sorts of misfortune to it."
However, historians have now debunked the "curse" as the product of mistaken identity.
Renfrewshire historian Derek Parker said: "The remains are definitely not of Lady Anne Speirs, who is buried in Houston Cemetery.
"Either way, the Speirs family were God-fearing people, devout Presbyterians who also gave a lot of support to the Houston and Killellan Church of Scotland, and probably wouldn't have been inclined to put a curse on anyone."
The genealogist discovered that the mausoleum contains the remains of the Speir family of Burnbrae House, no apparent relation to Lady Anne Speirs, whose stately home was situated in the grounds.
The Speir family later moved out of Linwood and their descendents are now scattered around the world
However, the family now regard North Berwick as their main ancestral home. Eight members of the family are buried in Whitekirk churchyard.
A Tesco spokesman said: "We are concluding a lengthy and sensitive legal process and have no further comment at this stage."
WHO IS BURIED IN THE LINWOOD CRYPT?
Thomas Speir of Blackstoun and Burnbrae
(1 January 1801 - 20 September 1874)
Died of chronic kidney disease and degeneration of the heart
Robert Speir of Culdees
(1 January 1801 - 18 February 1853)
Cause of death unknown
Mary Speir
(25 November 1793 - 1 April 1870)
Died of inflammatory diarrhoea of 16 days duration
Jane Speir
(c.1802 - 11 June 1868)
Died of disease of the liver that had lasted many months
Agnes Speir
(c.1815 - 1886)
Died of senile decay
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 15, 2010, Tuesday
I really enjoyed this one, especially as it allowed me to examine the history of my hometown of Linwood (yes, like most Evening Newsers I'm not originally from Edinburgh - but I've lived herE for over seven years) and get it in the Edinburgh Evening News.
It was also quite funny writing another story about another ghost being blamed for economic misfortune after hearing chef Rosario Sartore's fears that a ghost may have been to blame for the failure of his Broughton restaurant Bella Mbriana.
Town haunted by fears of curse as crypt to be opened
SHE was a member of one of the biggest landowning families in Scotland - but more than a century after her death her name is said with fear, not reverence.
Talk of Lady Anne Speirs still sends shivers down the spines of the people of Linwood, who blame her "curse" for 30 years of economic misfortune.
And now superstitious locals are warning that soon to be approved plans to move the remains of five people from a mausoleum and reunite them with their descendents in North Berwick will bring tragedy to the Renfrewshire town.
Linwood legend maintains that Lady Anne Speirs pledged a curse on anyone who disturbs the crypt.
That is unlikely to stop supermarket giant Tesco however, which is planning to move the remains to the East Lothian town to make way for a new supermarket and community facilities which it believes could regenerate the area.
The origin of the curse is shrouded in mystery, but the "wrath" of Lady Anne was first said to have been incurred in the early 1980s with the closure of the Rootes Car Plant, Linwood's main employer. The plant was built over the crypt and ceased operations in 1981.
The crypt was recently rediscovered by contractors working for Tesco.
It immediately moved to have the bodies disinterred, but a court order stalled the development after a judge ruled that the supermarket chain must wait 42 days for representations to be received from the local community.
Some locals said it is further evidence the remains should not be removed.
Iain Wilson, secretary of Linwood Community Council, said of the curse:
"It's a bit of a joke for most people but there are those that do believe it, and are keen to ascribe all sorts of misfortune to it."
However, historians have now debunked the "curse" as the product of mistaken identity.
Renfrewshire historian Derek Parker said: "The remains are definitely not of Lady Anne Speirs, who is buried in Houston Cemetery.
"Either way, the Speirs family were God-fearing people, devout Presbyterians who also gave a lot of support to the Houston and Killellan Church of Scotland, and probably wouldn't have been inclined to put a curse on anyone."
The genealogist discovered that the mausoleum contains the remains of the Speir family of Burnbrae House, no apparent relation to Lady Anne Speirs, whose stately home was situated in the grounds.
The Speir family later moved out of Linwood and their descendents are now scattered around the world
However, the family now regard North Berwick as their main ancestral home. Eight members of the family are buried in Whitekirk churchyard.
A Tesco spokesman said: "We are concluding a lengthy and sensitive legal process and have no further comment at this stage."
WHO IS BURIED IN THE LINWOOD CRYPT?
Thomas Speir of Blackstoun and Burnbrae
(1 January 1801 - 20 September 1874)
Died of chronic kidney disease and degeneration of the heart
Robert Speir of Culdees
(1 January 1801 - 18 February 1853)
Cause of death unknown
Mary Speir
(25 November 1793 - 1 April 1870)
Died of inflammatory diarrhoea of 16 days duration
Jane Speir
(c.1802 - 11 June 1868)
Died of disease of the liver that had lasted many months
Agnes Speir
(c.1815 - 1886)
Died of senile decay
NEWS: Pensioner dies in city brothel
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 14, 2010, Monday
A PENSIONER has died after suffering a heart attack in a Leith massage parlour.
The 79-year-old took ill at Scorpio Leisure, on Albion Road, at around 6pm on Wednesday and was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where he later died.
The deceased man has not been named, and staff at the parlour declined to comment.
One eyewitness, who did not wish to be named, said: "I saw the police cars arrive and then the CID go in. There had clearly been a fatality. I watched the CID go in and out with brown paper bags, obviously full of someone's possessions."
He added: "The Scorpio is well-known in the area, and it's not the first time someone hasn't made it out alive."
A 42-year-old taxi driver, a married father-of-one, collapsed and died in similar circumstances in 2001.
Commenting on Wednesday night's incident, a police spokesman said: "Police were called to an address in Albion Road at around 6pm on Wednesday evening after a 79-year-old man suffered a heart attack within the premises.
"He was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where he passed away. There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal."
The sauna has been a fixture on Albion Road for many years.
Last year, bosses at Scorpio Leisure contested a ruling by the Inland Revenue that they alone should be taxed on the entry money. A tax tribunal had found that the brothers, as director and secretary of owners Joppa Enterprises Ltd, were liable for costs on the whole fee.
Ian and Charles Haig argued that almost half the cash went back to the girls offering services at the Albion Road parlour, making them liable for any extra VAT costs.
However, Judge Lady Paton rejected their lawyer's argument and ruled that the bosses had only a "private agreement" with each "hostess" to split the money and were therefore solely liable for tax.
The court heard that the sauna had police approval and was licensed by the city council.
Customers were greeted at reception by one of the Haigs and the entry fee was "calculated on a sliding scale" - GBP 20 for 30 minutes, GBP 25 for 45 minutes, and GBP 35 for 60 minutes.
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 14, 2010, Monday
A PENSIONER has died after suffering a heart attack in a Leith massage parlour.
The 79-year-old took ill at Scorpio Leisure, on Albion Road, at around 6pm on Wednesday and was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where he later died.
The deceased man has not been named, and staff at the parlour declined to comment.
One eyewitness, who did not wish to be named, said: "I saw the police cars arrive and then the CID go in. There had clearly been a fatality. I watched the CID go in and out with brown paper bags, obviously full of someone's possessions."
He added: "The Scorpio is well-known in the area, and it's not the first time someone hasn't made it out alive."
A 42-year-old taxi driver, a married father-of-one, collapsed and died in similar circumstances in 2001.
Commenting on Wednesday night's incident, a police spokesman said: "Police were called to an address in Albion Road at around 6pm on Wednesday evening after a 79-year-old man suffered a heart attack within the premises.
"He was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where he passed away. There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal."
The sauna has been a fixture on Albion Road for many years.
Last year, bosses at Scorpio Leisure contested a ruling by the Inland Revenue that they alone should be taxed on the entry money. A tax tribunal had found that the brothers, as director and secretary of owners Joppa Enterprises Ltd, were liable for costs on the whole fee.
Ian and Charles Haig argued that almost half the cash went back to the girls offering services at the Albion Road parlour, making them liable for any extra VAT costs.
However, Judge Lady Paton rejected their lawyer's argument and ruled that the bosses had only a "private agreement" with each "hostess" to split the money and were therefore solely liable for tax.
The court heard that the sauna had police approval and was licensed by the city council.
Customers were greeted at reception by one of the Haigs and the entry fee was "calculated on a sliding scale" - GBP 20 for 30 minutes, GBP 25 for 45 minutes, and GBP 35 for 60 minutes.
NEWS: Crolla on the ropes
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 14, 2010, Monday
A MEMBER of one of the Capital's top food families has cancelled plans for his latest restaurant in Newington and says "restrictive" regulations will stop him ever embarking on another.
Vincent Crolla had secured planning permission to transform a basement shop on Marshall Street into a restaurant but has now decided to let it out rather than press on with his own plans.
Mr Crolla said he had been pushed to breaking point after years spent battling with council officials, who forced him to abandon plans for a restaurant on Slateford Road when he was refused permission to install a gas cooker in February.
Mr Crolla took over three adjoining units on Marshall Street and turned two of them into takeaways, but both have already fallen foul of red tape.
The first was his own Nyam Nyam Italian takeaway on the site of the former Potter Roll sandwich shop.
The council's road services department ordered him to remove al fresco dining tables that were allegedly obstructing the pavement outside Nyam Nyam four months after it opened.
Mr Crolla let the second unit out to a team of Lebanese chefs who transformed the former Copy Cat printing shop into Beirut Express. Despite being fitted with new cookers and branded signs it remains closed because environmental services had ordered sound-proofing.
Mr Crolla said: "I think the council regulations are too restrictive and as a result Nyam Nyam will probably be my last major business venture.
"I have been responsible for a lot of firsts in this city. Nyam Nyam is the first authentic Italian takeaway in Edinburgh, and Beirut Express will be the first Lebanese takeaway in Edinburgh, but I don't have the heart to open up the third one myself because I seem to get hammered at every turn.
"I hope the planning permission will make it more attractive to another tenant who will come in and open up something equally unique.
"It might yet end up being another first for Edinburgh."
A council spokesman said regulations governing al fresco tables differ from location to location so there is no standard measure of what constitutes an obstruction to the pavement, and also confirmed that planning permission had been granted for the basement unit for a change of use to a restaurant.
Meanwhile, Mr Crolla has reapplied to have his Slateford Road unit, which was being used as a warehouse outlet store, converted into a pizzeria following the rejection in February.
The unit had also previously come under fire from environmental services, who took exception to its bright orange colour scheme.
Mr Crolla previously owned Da Vinci's in Livingston, as well as a number of other restaurants in the city.
The owners of Vittoria on Leith Walk and George IV Bridge, Valvona and Crolla on Elm Row and Multrees Walk, as well as Dario's Fish and Chip Shop, are all Mr Crolla's cousins.
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 14, 2010, Monday
A MEMBER of one of the Capital's top food families has cancelled plans for his latest restaurant in Newington and says "restrictive" regulations will stop him ever embarking on another.
Vincent Crolla had secured planning permission to transform a basement shop on Marshall Street into a restaurant but has now decided to let it out rather than press on with his own plans.
Mr Crolla said he had been pushed to breaking point after years spent battling with council officials, who forced him to abandon plans for a restaurant on Slateford Road when he was refused permission to install a gas cooker in February.
Mr Crolla took over three adjoining units on Marshall Street and turned two of them into takeaways, but both have already fallen foul of red tape.
The first was his own Nyam Nyam Italian takeaway on the site of the former Potter Roll sandwich shop.
The council's road services department ordered him to remove al fresco dining tables that were allegedly obstructing the pavement outside Nyam Nyam four months after it opened.
Mr Crolla let the second unit out to a team of Lebanese chefs who transformed the former Copy Cat printing shop into Beirut Express. Despite being fitted with new cookers and branded signs it remains closed because environmental services had ordered sound-proofing.
Mr Crolla said: "I think the council regulations are too restrictive and as a result Nyam Nyam will probably be my last major business venture.
"I have been responsible for a lot of firsts in this city. Nyam Nyam is the first authentic Italian takeaway in Edinburgh, and Beirut Express will be the first Lebanese takeaway in Edinburgh, but I don't have the heart to open up the third one myself because I seem to get hammered at every turn.
"I hope the planning permission will make it more attractive to another tenant who will come in and open up something equally unique.
"It might yet end up being another first for Edinburgh."
A council spokesman said regulations governing al fresco tables differ from location to location so there is no standard measure of what constitutes an obstruction to the pavement, and also confirmed that planning permission had been granted for the basement unit for a change of use to a restaurant.
Meanwhile, Mr Crolla has reapplied to have his Slateford Road unit, which was being used as a warehouse outlet store, converted into a pizzeria following the rejection in February.
The unit had also previously come under fire from environmental services, who took exception to its bright orange colour scheme.
Mr Crolla previously owned Da Vinci's in Livingston, as well as a number of other restaurants in the city.
The owners of Vittoria on Leith Walk and George IV Bridge, Valvona and Crolla on Elm Row and Multrees Walk, as well as Dario's Fish and Chip Shop, are all Mr Crolla's cousins.
NEWS: Tilda Swinton does Laurel and Hardy
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 14, 2010, Monday
SHE'S used to making a song and dance about her love of the cinema, but now Oscar winner Tilda Swinton is inviting local residents to join her for a jig in Festival Square.
Ms Swinton hopes to lead a "flash mob" in a rendition of a classic Laurel and Hardy comedy dance routine to mark the launch of a new foundation to encourage youngsters to broaden their taste in movies.
Ms Swinton's is launching the 8 1/2 Foundation, which she has founded alongside filmmaker and former Edinburgh Film Festival director Mark Cousins.
The foundation aims to collect a bank of films suitable for viewing by eight-and-a-half year olds, the age at which the pair believe children should move on from Disney movies into more challenging territory.
Ms Swinton said: "Come rain or shine, having had our porridge, we're going to meet at Festival Square. We'll chat, read papers, suck a lolly, whatever.
"Then at exactly 11am The Avalon Boys' soft shoe ditty At the Ball will start. It's a song from Laurel and Hardy's funniest film, Way Out West.
"In the film, Stan and Ollie do a wee dance, which is rubbish compared to Cyd Charisse, Gene Kelly or any trained dancer, and yet it's one of the most charming, amusing, gentle, child-like musical numbers in the whole of cinema history.
"And so, in tribute to Stan and Ollie, and to the wee boys inside them, and to their movies, and to dancing in public in Edinburgh, possibly in the rain, and in pure unabashed celebration of doing something as a group and looking like dafties, when the music starts we will put down our newspapers and our adult selves, and do the Laurel and Hardy dance from the film."
Way Out West featured former George Watson's College and Edinburgh University graduate James Finlayson, a Laurel and Hardy stalwart who starred in 33 of their films.
Some fifty years later, Finlayson's frustrated catchphrase, a drawn-out "dohhhhhhh!", inspired the shorter version often exclaimed by Homer in The Simpsons.
The flash mob stunt will be similar to an advert for telephone company T Mobile which featured 400 people dancing in unison at Liverpool Street Station, and won advert of the year at this year's British advertising awards.
On one occasion, Police were forced to close the station when 13,000 people responded to a Facebook bid to stage a reenactment, packing out the platform with silent dancers and raising fears of overcrowding.
The organisers have no idea how many people will take part in the Festival Square event.
Ms Swinton added: "We need people to join us - especially if they are eight-and-a-half, or 85, or an accountant, or passing by, or on the bus, or Alex Salmond, or an Edinburgh International Film Festival movie-goer, or in high heels, or grumpy, or bevvied, or a bit bewildered by the fact that the bell clock has moved from one side of Lothian Road to the other, or if you've just bought a talking-point lamp from Ali's Cave or you don't usually dance in public.
"If people don't join us we will look like total fools, though not for the first time. Yes, we will all bump into each other, and yes it'll look nothing like those flash mobs you see on YouTube, but it should be very amusing."
Ms Swinton has revealed her plans today to give people two weeks notice to learn the dance -which can be viewed at their website eightandahalf.org - in time for the even, which is due to take place on 26 June.
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 14, 2010, Monday
SHE'S used to making a song and dance about her love of the cinema, but now Oscar winner Tilda Swinton is inviting local residents to join her for a jig in Festival Square.
Ms Swinton hopes to lead a "flash mob" in a rendition of a classic Laurel and Hardy comedy dance routine to mark the launch of a new foundation to encourage youngsters to broaden their taste in movies.
Ms Swinton's is launching the 8 1/2 Foundation, which she has founded alongside filmmaker and former Edinburgh Film Festival director Mark Cousins.
The foundation aims to collect a bank of films suitable for viewing by eight-and-a-half year olds, the age at which the pair believe children should move on from Disney movies into more challenging territory.
Ms Swinton said: "Come rain or shine, having had our porridge, we're going to meet at Festival Square. We'll chat, read papers, suck a lolly, whatever.
"Then at exactly 11am The Avalon Boys' soft shoe ditty At the Ball will start. It's a song from Laurel and Hardy's funniest film, Way Out West.
"In the film, Stan and Ollie do a wee dance, which is rubbish compared to Cyd Charisse, Gene Kelly or any trained dancer, and yet it's one of the most charming, amusing, gentle, child-like musical numbers in the whole of cinema history.
"And so, in tribute to Stan and Ollie, and to the wee boys inside them, and to their movies, and to dancing in public in Edinburgh, possibly in the rain, and in pure unabashed celebration of doing something as a group and looking like dafties, when the music starts we will put down our newspapers and our adult selves, and do the Laurel and Hardy dance from the film."
Way Out West featured former George Watson's College and Edinburgh University graduate James Finlayson, a Laurel and Hardy stalwart who starred in 33 of their films.
Some fifty years later, Finlayson's frustrated catchphrase, a drawn-out "dohhhhhhh!", inspired the shorter version often exclaimed by Homer in The Simpsons.
The flash mob stunt will be similar to an advert for telephone company T Mobile which featured 400 people dancing in unison at Liverpool Street Station, and won advert of the year at this year's British advertising awards.
On one occasion, Police were forced to close the station when 13,000 people responded to a Facebook bid to stage a reenactment, packing out the platform with silent dancers and raising fears of overcrowding.
The organisers have no idea how many people will take part in the Festival Square event.
Ms Swinton added: "We need people to join us - especially if they are eight-and-a-half, or 85, or an accountant, or passing by, or on the bus, or Alex Salmond, or an Edinburgh International Film Festival movie-goer, or in high heels, or grumpy, or bevvied, or a bit bewildered by the fact that the bell clock has moved from one side of Lothian Road to the other, or if you've just bought a talking-point lamp from Ali's Cave or you don't usually dance in public.
"If people don't join us we will look like total fools, though not for the first time. Yes, we will all bump into each other, and yes it'll look nothing like those flash mobs you see on YouTube, but it should be very amusing."
Ms Swinton has revealed her plans today to give people two weeks notice to learn the dance -which can be viewed at their website eightandahalf.org - in time for the even, which is due to take place on 26 June.
NEWS: Methadone Baby Food
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 9, 2010, Wednesday
AN INVESTIGATION has been carried out after it emerged council social workers visited the house of a drug addict the day before she fed a two-month-old baby methadone.
Susan Taylor, 29, is currently serving three years at Cornton Vale Prison after giving the baby boy a dummy dripping with the heroin substitute in a bid to keep him quiet.
Although Taylor admitted the charge last September, the case could not be reported until her lesbian partner had faced trial over the incident.
Fellow drug addict Lynn Cowan, 28, was yesterday reunited with Ms Taylor at Cornton Vale when she was given ten months for failing in her "duty to tell doctors" that the child had ingested the drug.
The court heard that social workers had visited the flat in Leith's Fort just a day before the incident on 22 November 2008 and nothing untoward was reported. They had even ensured all controlled drugs were out of reach of the baby, according to fiscal depute John Kirk.
The following day Ms Taylor rolled the child's dummy in her methadone measuring cup before putting it in his mouth.
The baby sucked on the dummy for around five minutes before passing out, his face grey and his lips blue.
By the time an ambulance arrived on the scene the baby wasn't breathing. The child suffered fits on the way to the Sick Kids Hospital and was rushed to intensive care.
Doctors say it is too early to know whether the boy will suffer any lasting effects.
A council spokesman today said a review had been carried out following the incident.
He said: "Whilst we cannot predict or prevent all instances of harm, we have well-established procedures for assessing risk and we take fast action when we become aware of concerns.
"Although cases like this are very rare, the Edinburgh child protection committee have carried out a multi-agency significant case review.
"We will consider its contents, as we do with all reviews, to continuously shape the way we deliver our service."
However, the case does not require any major changes in the council's social work procedures, which the spokesman added were "robust".
The case raises questions over whether drug addicts should be allowed to care for children, but charity Children 1st said youngsters should only be removed when there is a clear risk
Chief executive Anne Houston
said that Children 1st worked with stable methadone users who can care for children with support.
She continued: "However, there are instances where additional, very intensive, support is required or children may need to be removed to ensure their continued safety.
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 9, 2010, Wednesday
AN INVESTIGATION has been carried out after it emerged council social workers visited the house of a drug addict the day before she fed a two-month-old baby methadone.
Susan Taylor, 29, is currently serving three years at Cornton Vale Prison after giving the baby boy a dummy dripping with the heroin substitute in a bid to keep him quiet.
Although Taylor admitted the charge last September, the case could not be reported until her lesbian partner had faced trial over the incident.
Fellow drug addict Lynn Cowan, 28, was yesterday reunited with Ms Taylor at Cornton Vale when she was given ten months for failing in her "duty to tell doctors" that the child had ingested the drug.
The court heard that social workers had visited the flat in Leith's Fort just a day before the incident on 22 November 2008 and nothing untoward was reported. They had even ensured all controlled drugs were out of reach of the baby, according to fiscal depute John Kirk.
The following day Ms Taylor rolled the child's dummy in her methadone measuring cup before putting it in his mouth.
The baby sucked on the dummy for around five minutes before passing out, his face grey and his lips blue.
By the time an ambulance arrived on the scene the baby wasn't breathing. The child suffered fits on the way to the Sick Kids Hospital and was rushed to intensive care.
Doctors say it is too early to know whether the boy will suffer any lasting effects.
A council spokesman today said a review had been carried out following the incident.
He said: "Whilst we cannot predict or prevent all instances of harm, we have well-established procedures for assessing risk and we take fast action when we become aware of concerns.
"Although cases like this are very rare, the Edinburgh child protection committee have carried out a multi-agency significant case review.
"We will consider its contents, as we do with all reviews, to continuously shape the way we deliver our service."
However, the case does not require any major changes in the council's social work procedures, which the spokesman added were "robust".
The case raises questions over whether drug addicts should be allowed to care for children, but charity Children 1st said youngsters should only be removed when there is a clear risk
Chief executive Anne Houston
said that Children 1st worked with stable methadone users who can care for children with support.
She continued: "However, there are instances where additional, very intensive, support is required or children may need to be removed to ensure their continued safety.
NEWS: Rebus Roaming
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 4, 2010, Friday
IT DOESN'T take a detective to follow Ian Rankin around Edinburgh but those who need a helping hand will soon be able to follow him on their phone.
The Rebus author is currently recording content for a new online tour of the Capital for the Apple iPhone.
With almost hourly updates of his movements on social networking site Twitter, regular television and newspaper tours and his favourite pubs littering the pages of his Rebus novels, he is not shy of letting fans know where he likes to hang out.
But the new application will give fans another window into his favourite haunts, and those of his most popular character John Rebus.
Mr Rankin said: "When fans visit Edinburgh they will be able to find out more information about the locations in the books while walking around the city.
"I do get a lot of feedback from fans from outside Edinburgh who tell me they want to know more about the places that I write about, so anything that helps them to get a handle on the city is a good thing.
"Not everyone has time to go on the Rebus Walks, so this will allow them to do it in their own time."
The exact locations that will be featured in the Rankin App are still being finalised but Mr Rankin said he would endeavour to take fans where they wouldn't normally visit - such as the quiet banks of the Water of Leith - as well as the most popular destinations in his novels.
Julie MacBrayne, Orion marketing manager for paperbacks, said: "The app is still in the early stages, but we hope to have it up in time for the Festival.
"It's essentially going to be the Ian Rankin tour of Edinburgh. Ian is very much involved and it's going to be driven by his experiences of Edinburgh.
"He will be the unique selling point, especially amongst fans looking for an inside look at the places he visits and a behind the scenes look at his books.
"International fans will still be able to download the app and access its content, but they won't really get the full effect unless they walk the streets with him. We've got such a wealth of material from Ian already.
"It's the first time we've tried this with any of our authors. He's one of our bestselling authors and Edinburgh is the driving force behind all of his work so he was the obvious choice to launch this app."
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 4, 2010, Friday
IT DOESN'T take a detective to follow Ian Rankin around Edinburgh but those who need a helping hand will soon be able to follow him on their phone.
The Rebus author is currently recording content for a new online tour of the Capital for the Apple iPhone.
With almost hourly updates of his movements on social networking site Twitter, regular television and newspaper tours and his favourite pubs littering the pages of his Rebus novels, he is not shy of letting fans know where he likes to hang out.
But the new application will give fans another window into his favourite haunts, and those of his most popular character John Rebus.
Mr Rankin said: "When fans visit Edinburgh they will be able to find out more information about the locations in the books while walking around the city.
"I do get a lot of feedback from fans from outside Edinburgh who tell me they want to know more about the places that I write about, so anything that helps them to get a handle on the city is a good thing.
"Not everyone has time to go on the Rebus Walks, so this will allow them to do it in their own time."
The exact locations that will be featured in the Rankin App are still being finalised but Mr Rankin said he would endeavour to take fans where they wouldn't normally visit - such as the quiet banks of the Water of Leith - as well as the most popular destinations in his novels.
Julie MacBrayne, Orion marketing manager for paperbacks, said: "The app is still in the early stages, but we hope to have it up in time for the Festival.
"It's essentially going to be the Ian Rankin tour of Edinburgh. Ian is very much involved and it's going to be driven by his experiences of Edinburgh.
"He will be the unique selling point, especially amongst fans looking for an inside look at the places he visits and a behind the scenes look at his books.
"International fans will still be able to download the app and access its content, but they won't really get the full effect unless they walk the streets with him. We've got such a wealth of material from Ian already.
"It's the first time we've tried this with any of our authors. He's one of our bestselling authors and Edinburgh is the driving force behind all of his work so he was the obvious choice to launch this app."
NEWS: Nine coffins leave Israel
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 3, 2010, Thursday
AN EDINBURGH activist seized in the Gaza aid flotilla is in Turkey today attending the funerals of the nine people who were massacred by Israeli troops.
Friends said Theresa McDermott called her partner Jim Burns from the airport in Istanbul yesterday to tell him she was safe.
Free Gaza Scotland co-ordinator Carl Abernethy said: "We had expected her home today but she said she's going to stay for the funerals of the nine people who were killed, which are expected to take place today.
"Although we do not yet know the identities of the nine people who were killed, they are likely to be Muslim and custom dictates that they are buried on the day of death or at the nearest possible opportunity.
"We expect her to fly home after that."
The IHH charity says they are having difficulty identifying five of the bodies. Four of them have been officially confirmed to be Turks.
There were unfounded fears that Ms McDermott had joined the MV Rachel Corrie, the Irish boat that was due to enter Gazan waters this morning.
Israel has said it will not bow to international pressure to let the boat through the blockade.
Mr Abernethy said: "I've just heard that the MV Rachel Corrie is heading for Gaza now and has formed a another convoy with three ships from Malaysia carrying humanitarian aid."
News that Ms McDermott is safe and well signals the end of a tense few days for friends who feared for her safety when the nine activists were killed by Israeli troops on the Gaza aid flotilla on Monday.
The boat she was travelling on, the Challenger 2, was taken without a fight and Ms McDermott was taken to Beersheeba Prison in Israel pending deportation.
One of the first activists to make it back from Israel, Hasan Nowarah from Bearsden, said he believed Ms McDermott, a postal worker from Pilrig, had been badly beaten up.
However, Ms McDermott's sister Winnie Chambers said she did not appear to be in any distress when she phoned her partner on Tuesday.
She said: "Her partner sent an e-mail round everyone yesterday saying that she was fine."
Free Gaza organisers in Cyprus will also be relieved to hear that Ms McDermott was safe, after their lawyer failed to track her down in the prison amid fears she had been hospitalised.
Spokeswoman Greta Berlin said Ms McDermott had been resisting deportation in solidarity with four Palestinian and Israeli nationals.
Israel today dropped plans to prosecute the activists to limit diplomatic damage.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that IHH had "clear" links to terror groups.
However, IHH denies ties to radical groups and it is not among 45 groups listed as terrorists by the US.
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 3, 2010, Thursday
AN EDINBURGH activist seized in the Gaza aid flotilla is in Turkey today attending the funerals of the nine people who were massacred by Israeli troops.
Friends said Theresa McDermott called her partner Jim Burns from the airport in Istanbul yesterday to tell him she was safe.
Free Gaza Scotland co-ordinator Carl Abernethy said: "We had expected her home today but she said she's going to stay for the funerals of the nine people who were killed, which are expected to take place today.
"Although we do not yet know the identities of the nine people who were killed, they are likely to be Muslim and custom dictates that they are buried on the day of death or at the nearest possible opportunity.
"We expect her to fly home after that."
The IHH charity says they are having difficulty identifying five of the bodies. Four of them have been officially confirmed to be Turks.
There were unfounded fears that Ms McDermott had joined the MV Rachel Corrie, the Irish boat that was due to enter Gazan waters this morning.
Israel has said it will not bow to international pressure to let the boat through the blockade.
Mr Abernethy said: "I've just heard that the MV Rachel Corrie is heading for Gaza now and has formed a another convoy with three ships from Malaysia carrying humanitarian aid."
News that Ms McDermott is safe and well signals the end of a tense few days for friends who feared for her safety when the nine activists were killed by Israeli troops on the Gaza aid flotilla on Monday.
The boat she was travelling on, the Challenger 2, was taken without a fight and Ms McDermott was taken to Beersheeba Prison in Israel pending deportation.
One of the first activists to make it back from Israel, Hasan Nowarah from Bearsden, said he believed Ms McDermott, a postal worker from Pilrig, had been badly beaten up.
However, Ms McDermott's sister Winnie Chambers said she did not appear to be in any distress when she phoned her partner on Tuesday.
She said: "Her partner sent an e-mail round everyone yesterday saying that she was fine."
Free Gaza organisers in Cyprus will also be relieved to hear that Ms McDermott was safe, after their lawyer failed to track her down in the prison amid fears she had been hospitalised.
Spokeswoman Greta Berlin said Ms McDermott had been resisting deportation in solidarity with four Palestinian and Israeli nationals.
Israel today dropped plans to prosecute the activists to limit diplomatic damage.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that IHH had "clear" links to terror groups.
However, IHH denies ties to radical groups and it is not among 45 groups listed as terrorists by the US.
NEWS: A beating in Israel
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 2, 2010, Wednesday
AN EDINBURGH activist seized by Israel in the Gaza aid massacre was today reported to have been badly beaten.
Supporters said they hoped Theresa McDermott, 43, may be released today as the Israeli authorities continue their deportation of the hundreds of international activists detained in the raid on the aid flotilla in which nine people were killed.
One activist, Hasan Nowarah from Bearsden, who arrived back in Scotland last night, said he believed Ms McDermott, a postal worker from Pilrig, had been badly beaten up.
Carl Abernethy, who founded Free Gaza-Scotland along with Ms McDermott last year, said he had no information that she had been beaten.
He said: "We know she is being held in the Beersheba jail, but they seem to want rid of everyone as quickly as possible.
"It would be fantastic if Theresa were released today so we can find out how she is and she can tell us exactly what happened."
Ms McDermott was aboard the Challenger 1 passenger boat that was running alongside Turkish ship Mavi Marmara when it was boarded by gun-toting Israeli troops. Challenger 1 was taken without a fight.
Earlier reports suggested that she may have boarded MV Rachel Corrie, a converted Irish merchant ship which was held up by technical problems and may still be attempting to reach Gaza. The news that Ms McDermott was not on the Rachel Corrie came as a relief to her sister Winnie Chambers, but she is still awaiting news of her condition in prison and how she is being treated.
She said: "We have heard nothing from the Foreign Office. Our brother has been going through various official channels looking for information.
"We weren't sure if she had transferred on to the Rachel Corrie without telling us.
"It's the kind of thing she would do.
"I know she was due to set sail from Crete to Cyprus to pick up some Irish MPs, a couple of German politicians, and a girl called Alex, before setting off to Gaza.
"The last thing she said was that the passengers probably had more to fear from her cooking than they did from the Israelis."
Edinburgh North & Leith Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz said he had contacted Foreign Secretary William Hague, urging him to demand Ms McDermott's immediate release from Israeli custody.
He said: "This tragedy once again underlines the need for an end to the blockade of Gaza - the ships were carrying medical supplies and schoolbooks not guns and rockets."
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 2, 2010, Wednesday
AN EDINBURGH activist seized by Israel in the Gaza aid massacre was today reported to have been badly beaten.
Supporters said they hoped Theresa McDermott, 43, may be released today as the Israeli authorities continue their deportation of the hundreds of international activists detained in the raid on the aid flotilla in which nine people were killed.
One activist, Hasan Nowarah from Bearsden, who arrived back in Scotland last night, said he believed Ms McDermott, a postal worker from Pilrig, had been badly beaten up.
Carl Abernethy, who founded Free Gaza-Scotland along with Ms McDermott last year, said he had no information that she had been beaten.
He said: "We know she is being held in the Beersheba jail, but they seem to want rid of everyone as quickly as possible.
"It would be fantastic if Theresa were released today so we can find out how she is and she can tell us exactly what happened."
Ms McDermott was aboard the Challenger 1 passenger boat that was running alongside Turkish ship Mavi Marmara when it was boarded by gun-toting Israeli troops. Challenger 1 was taken without a fight.
Earlier reports suggested that she may have boarded MV Rachel Corrie, a converted Irish merchant ship which was held up by technical problems and may still be attempting to reach Gaza. The news that Ms McDermott was not on the Rachel Corrie came as a relief to her sister Winnie Chambers, but she is still awaiting news of her condition in prison and how she is being treated.
She said: "We have heard nothing from the Foreign Office. Our brother has been going through various official channels looking for information.
"We weren't sure if she had transferred on to the Rachel Corrie without telling us.
"It's the kind of thing she would do.
"I know she was due to set sail from Crete to Cyprus to pick up some Irish MPs, a couple of German politicians, and a girl called Alex, before setting off to Gaza.
"The last thing she said was that the passengers probably had more to fear from her cooking than they did from the Israelis."
Edinburgh North & Leith Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz said he had contacted Foreign Secretary William Hague, urging him to demand Ms McDermott's immediate release from Israeli custody.
He said: "This tragedy once again underlines the need for an end to the blockade of Gaza - the ships were carrying medical supplies and schoolbooks not guns and rockets."
NEWS: Tensions grow in Gaza
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 1, 2010, Tuesday
Woman caught up in Gaza massacre 'committed' to cause
THE family of a city aid worker caught up in the Gaza aid ship massacre today told how she had never been one to shy away from danger, as they desperately wait for news.
Theresa McDermott, 43, from Pilrig, was thought to have been travelling on one of the smaller vessels in the six-ship flotilla which was stormed by Israeli troops.
Up to 15 people on the boats were killed when the commandos boarded ships carrying 10,000 tonnes of supplies.
Ms McDermott's sister Winnie Chambers, an Edinburgh University librarian said: "We're very concerned. We don't have a great deal of information at the moment.
"She's very brave and so committed to the cause of the people of Gaza, to the point where she's willing to put herself in harm's way and be imprisoned in dreadful conditions.
"She's her own person and nothing anyone says is going to change her mind."
Fellow activists in Edinburgh have been unable to contact Ms McDermott since Friday and they are not certain which ship she is on.
But Carl Abernethy, who co-founded Free Gaza Scotland with Ms McDermott last year, said she could be aboard the Irish vessel MV Rachel Corrie, which is still at sea and may still try to reach Gaza. All the rest of the convoy was escorted to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
Mr Abernethy said: "I can only assume at some point the Rachel Corrie has been separated. It may now be making an attempt to reach Gaza and in view of yesterday's PR disaster by the Israelis, it might actually get through."
Ms McDermott has been detained by the Israelis on three previous occasions while taking part in protests.
She was imprisoned and deported twice last year after two boats on which she was sailing were seized trying to breach the Gaza blockade.
In 2003 she was arrested in the West Bank Palestinian village of Bidu while protesting against Israel's illegal security wall.
Mr Abernethy said: "The Israelis have claimed that some of the boats were carrying weapons for use by terrorists, but our boats were fully examined before we left port and were found to be carrying aid supplies only.
"The boats were carrying items that are restricted under the Israeli blockade including crayons, jam, paints, as well as medicines and wheelchairs. They were also carrying several tons of concrete for the rebuilding, which is also restricted."
Edinburgh North & Leith Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz said he had asked the Foreign Office to intervene with the Israeli authorities to make sure Ms McDermott was released unharmed.
* Around 200 protesters took part in a demonstration at The Mound yesterday following the Gaza aid ship massacre.
Scores of people waving Palestine flags and placards reading "Enough is Enough" and "Massacre - Hold Israel to Account" gathered next to the National Gallery of Scotland.
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 1, 2010, Tuesday
Woman caught up in Gaza massacre 'committed' to cause
THE family of a city aid worker caught up in the Gaza aid ship massacre today told how she had never been one to shy away from danger, as they desperately wait for news.
Theresa McDermott, 43, from Pilrig, was thought to have been travelling on one of the smaller vessels in the six-ship flotilla which was stormed by Israeli troops.
Up to 15 people on the boats were killed when the commandos boarded ships carrying 10,000 tonnes of supplies.
Ms McDermott's sister Winnie Chambers, an Edinburgh University librarian said: "We're very concerned. We don't have a great deal of information at the moment.
"She's very brave and so committed to the cause of the people of Gaza, to the point where she's willing to put herself in harm's way and be imprisoned in dreadful conditions.
"She's her own person and nothing anyone says is going to change her mind."
Fellow activists in Edinburgh have been unable to contact Ms McDermott since Friday and they are not certain which ship she is on.
But Carl Abernethy, who co-founded Free Gaza Scotland with Ms McDermott last year, said she could be aboard the Irish vessel MV Rachel Corrie, which is still at sea and may still try to reach Gaza. All the rest of the convoy was escorted to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
Mr Abernethy said: "I can only assume at some point the Rachel Corrie has been separated. It may now be making an attempt to reach Gaza and in view of yesterday's PR disaster by the Israelis, it might actually get through."
Ms McDermott has been detained by the Israelis on three previous occasions while taking part in protests.
She was imprisoned and deported twice last year after two boats on which she was sailing were seized trying to breach the Gaza blockade.
In 2003 she was arrested in the West Bank Palestinian village of Bidu while protesting against Israel's illegal security wall.
Mr Abernethy said: "The Israelis have claimed that some of the boats were carrying weapons for use by terrorists, but our boats were fully examined before we left port and were found to be carrying aid supplies only.
"The boats were carrying items that are restricted under the Israeli blockade including crayons, jam, paints, as well as medicines and wheelchairs. They were also carrying several tons of concrete for the rebuilding, which is also restricted."
Edinburgh North & Leith Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz said he had asked the Foreign Office to intervene with the Israeli authorities to make sure Ms McDermott was released unharmed.
* Around 200 protesters took part in a demonstration at The Mound yesterday following the Gaza aid ship massacre.
Scores of people waving Palestine flags and placards reading "Enough is Enough" and "Massacre - Hold Israel to Account" gathered next to the National Gallery of Scotland.
NEWS: In Vino Pecunia
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
May 31, 2010, Monday
Former managers take over stores from collapsed firm
A GROUP of redundant off-licence managers are going it alone with a new independent drinks chain.
Their new Vino stores will fill the void left by the collapse of First Quench, which saw 1,200 branches of Wine Rack, Threshers, Victoria Wine and The Local close down nationwide at the end of last year, including around 45 locally.
As managers of some the chain's most successful branches they were able to analyse old First Quench sales data and pick the most successful stores.
The first new Vino stores are expected to open on Broughton Street and Grange Loan next week, with a third branch on Comiston Road due a few weeks later.
If the first three branches prove successful the team will then look to expand their chain throughout the city.
The venture is the brainchild of former Grange Loan and Marchmont Wine Rack manager Andrew Lundy, 31.
Mr Lundy, who lives in Mayfield, had been working for First Quench for eight years.
He said: "I saw that the writing was on the wall for First Quench, but I had already been thinking about setting up my own off licence business.
"I was going through area manager training at the time so I had access to the area sales figures, and knew where all the good and bad shops were.
"It's been a long six months but we're now just waiting for the licences to come through, and we should hopefully open up by the end of next week.
"It's incredibly exciting, and we're really confident we can make it work. We're starting with eight staff initially with a combined 60 years of experience in the drinks industry."
The new chain will be lifeline to former managers such as Broughton Street manager Ciaran Moen, 31. He said: "First Quench collapsed on 29 October and I was out of a job on 16 December. It was lucky I had another job in a bar or it would have been a lean Christmas.
"Broughton Street was the biggest-selling branch in Scotland, and I'm looking forward to getting it going again.
"We've already had loads of people coming in and asking when we're going to open as we've been putting the displays up."
Mr Lundy said not being part of a national chain meant they would be able to stock more locally sourced products.
He added: "We've already got deals in place with Innes and Gunn, Inveralmond and Atlas breweries, and I'm a big whisky fan so we'll be stocking plenty of local brands.
"Although we won't be going down the three-for-two route, if we can buy in bulk we can still offer some fantastic deals.
"Most of those supermarket deals are a con anyway as they price up the ticket in order to sell at a 'discount', but my policy will be to stay honest to the customer and only sell alcohol for the price it's worth."
Evening News (Edinburgh)
May 31, 2010, Monday
Former managers take over stores from collapsed firm
A GROUP of redundant off-licence managers are going it alone with a new independent drinks chain.
Their new Vino stores will fill the void left by the collapse of First Quench, which saw 1,200 branches of Wine Rack, Threshers, Victoria Wine and The Local close down nationwide at the end of last year, including around 45 locally.
As managers of some the chain's most successful branches they were able to analyse old First Quench sales data and pick the most successful stores.
The first new Vino stores are expected to open on Broughton Street and Grange Loan next week, with a third branch on Comiston Road due a few weeks later.
If the first three branches prove successful the team will then look to expand their chain throughout the city.
The venture is the brainchild of former Grange Loan and Marchmont Wine Rack manager Andrew Lundy, 31.
Mr Lundy, who lives in Mayfield, had been working for First Quench for eight years.
He said: "I saw that the writing was on the wall for First Quench, but I had already been thinking about setting up my own off licence business.
"I was going through area manager training at the time so I had access to the area sales figures, and knew where all the good and bad shops were.
"It's been a long six months but we're now just waiting for the licences to come through, and we should hopefully open up by the end of next week.
"It's incredibly exciting, and we're really confident we can make it work. We're starting with eight staff initially with a combined 60 years of experience in the drinks industry."
The new chain will be lifeline to former managers such as Broughton Street manager Ciaran Moen, 31. He said: "First Quench collapsed on 29 October and I was out of a job on 16 December. It was lucky I had another job in a bar or it would have been a lean Christmas.
"Broughton Street was the biggest-selling branch in Scotland, and I'm looking forward to getting it going again.
"We've already had loads of people coming in and asking when we're going to open as we've been putting the displays up."
Mr Lundy said not being part of a national chain meant they would be able to stock more locally sourced products.
He added: "We've already got deals in place with Innes and Gunn, Inveralmond and Atlas breweries, and I'm a big whisky fan so we'll be stocking plenty of local brands.
"Although we won't be going down the three-for-two route, if we can buy in bulk we can still offer some fantastic deals.
"Most of those supermarket deals are a con anyway as they price up the ticket in order to sell at a 'discount', but my policy will be to stay honest to the customer and only sell alcohol for the price it's worth."
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