400th Edition

I was going to let this milestone pass without comment, but some observant readers have already written because they noticed the approach of the 400th edition. This Newsletter started as a Web page on the Rampant Scotland site in April 1997 and subscriptions to the e-mail version began in October the same year. Some of the original subscribers are still on the mailing list.
The Snippets have increased in size over the years as I tapped into more sources for stories - currently I read four newspapers every day and subscribe to a number of electronic news-feeds. The latter mean that I know a lot about Aberdeen, South Dakota and Inverness in Montana and Florida! Newspapers have to fill their pages, so news items I use have to be severely trimmed. Even so, I used to assume that most readers skip to the items in which they have an interest and don't read all 5/6,000 words written/typed each week, though some readers have told me otherwise.
I usually have a dram of my favourite whisky after the effort of writing the Newsletter (some folk who spot the odd slip-up may think I start sipping it before the Snippets are completed) and after the 400th edition, that may have to be a large one!

Large Rises in Local Taxes Forecast

The Scottish Executive announced what they described as a "tight" financial allocation to the 32 local authorities across Scotland. In 2005-06 they will receive £8.1 billion, an increase of 4.4% and increases in the two following years will be 3.3% and 2.4% respectively. While most of the finance for local services (such as education, police, social work, cleansing, roads and libraries) are paid from central funds, the balance has to be found from local property tax. The Finance Minister says he hopes that local authorities will keep their increase to 2.5%. Many councils, however, have already calculated that the increase will be at least 4.4% from next April and that similar increases will be required in the following years - this at a time when inflation is running at around 2% and even wage rates are not rising at 4.4%. The amount paid by an average home is now over £1100 and rates for larger properties are well over £2,000. Charges for water and sewage are an additional charge. In recent years, there have been noisy protests about significant increases in local authority tax increases which hit those on lower fixed incomes such as pensioners particularly hard.

Scottish Pupils Excel at School

The Scottish Executive will no doubt claim the credit, but the most recent results of an international comparison of 15-year-olds shows that Scottish pupils are near the top of the table of 30 countries in mathematics, science and reading. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) survey programme for International Student Assessment puts the Scots ahead of countries such as the US, Spain and Italy - though Australia, Canada and New Zealand performed better than Scotland. The top country in all three subjects was Finland (though Japan was first equal with that country for Science). The survey assesses the performance of more than 250,000 teenagers and their results are then compared. Scotland was ranked 6th for reading, 8th for science and 8th equal for mathematics. The US students of the same age came 14th for reading, 17th equal for science and 21st for mathematics.

Scottish Fishing Fleet Again Under Threat

The European Fisheries Commissioner has proposed the closure of 20% of the dangerously depleted cod grounds in the North Sea, Irish Sea and off the west of Scotland for part of 2005. The Commissioner claims that "tough measures" are needed to restore endangered stocks and keep the Scots fleet in business. In recent years, the EU has enforced the closure of cod grounds in the spawning season, but senior commission officials said fish mortality was now so acute that dramatic measures were needed. The main areas affected, to the north-east of Scotland, are those richest in cod and most frequently fished. But fishermen and their leaders say that the figures on which the proposals are made were out of date and that there is no case for closure. They say that measures already taken in the last few years have actually allowed stocks to increase. As they stand, the closures would be an economic disaster for the Scottish fishing fleet. Ross Finnie, the Scottish Executive Minister for Environment & Rural Development says that he is totally opposed to the European Fisheries Commission proposals. In the usual way of European Commission working, the draconian plans will be watered down during negotiation but nevertheless the outlook for the Scottish fishing industry is grim.

Bid to Improve Air Quality

Glasgow's air quality falls far short of Government targets. Research shows air quality in Glasgow is among the worst in the UK, with Union Street, Renfield Street, Hope Street, Gordon Street and George Square among the city's worst. Now the local city council is targeting the reduction of traffic emissions by keeping cars away from the city centre. Glasgow already has quite a number of streets which have been pedestrianised - but that has the effect of channeling vehicles along the other streets, raising pollution there. Even so, the council is planning to extend the traffic free zones and increasing the number of illuminated signs showing the number of spaces currently available in the multi-storey car parks to encourage drivers to go to car parks, instead of driving round looking for a space in the streets. Further bus lanes will be introduced - though it is perhaps debatable whether speeding up the smelly diesel buses and slowing the private cars by giving them fewer lanes will be beneficial.

Threat to Lossiemouth Air Base Recedes

The threat to close the Royal Air Force fighter base at Lossiemouth in Moray receded this week when the Ministry of Defence confirmed that it expects RAF aircraft to remain at Lossiemouth in Moray for the next 14 years. The base is currently home to three operational squadrons of Tornado GR4s. No similar assurances have been given about the future of RAF Kinloss, a few miles away from Lossiemouth, which is home to maritime reconnaissance and early warning aircraft.

Subsidy Needed for Forth Ferry

A study by transport consultants into the feasibility of a ferry service from Fife across the Firth of Forth to Leith, with bus connections into Edinburgh, says it could cut journey times significantly. Crossing the estuary could be as little as eight minutes. And reduce traffic congestion on the Forth road bridge, where commuters can face long delays, could be alleviated. But Stagecoach, the Perth-based transport company which has been developing the idea, says that it would need a £1.5 million subsidy over the first three years to get the service off the ground. The cheapest option would be a high-speed catamaran, with a capacity for 250 passengers, running between Burntisland in Fife and Leith. This would need around 600,000 passengers a year to break even and would charge £3.80 for a single journey. Discussions are continuing.

Stagecoach Cheers City

The giant Perth-based transport group Stagecoach cheered the stock market and its shareholders this week with the announcement of pre-tax profits up by £12.4 million to £57.2 million for the first six months of its financial year. Stagecoach runs 7,000 buses across Britain and 25% of the rail network. Over the years has invested abroad - with mixed results. There was a near disaster with the acquisition of Coach USA in 1999. After selling off some of those services, profit margins in the US have improved this year, though the lower value of the dollar meant that, translated into sterling terms, in sterling value terms profits were down from the US subsidiary.

IBM Deal Threatens Scottish Jobs

The sale of IBM's PC-making division to a Chinese company has cast doubt over the future of 600 people employed at the IBM factory at Spango Valley near Greenock. The deal will create the world's third largest PC maker (after Dell and Hewlett-Packard) and 10,000 staff world-wide will now work for the Chinese computer company Lenovo. Last year, IBM PC making at Greenock was sub-contracted by IBM to another US company, Sanmina, who took over the 643 workers and operate under a three-year contract with IBM worth £2.6 billion. Since then, many of the full-time staff have been replaced by temporary workers. IBM continues to employ 2,800 staff at the Scottish plant in service and support roles.

Too Many Bars in Edinburgh

The Lothian and Borders Deputy Chief Constable has claimed this week that the large number of bars in Edinburgh are a contributory factor to the growing number of arrests of people being drunk and incapable in the Capital over the last five years. He pointed out that Edinburgh has twice as many pubs per head of population than Glasgow (which will come as a surprise to many Glaswegians). He says that Edinburgh has become a popular destination for "stag" and "hen" nights or even weekends, as prospective grooms and brides celebrate their last nights of "freedom" before tying the knot. The drinking culture has certainly changed over the years and "binge" drinking is a major issue. The number of actual arrests for being "drunk and incapable" has increased from 57 in 1999 to 257 last year, though it is hard to work out whether this is due to more alcohol being consumed or the police cracking down on noisy revellers who are causing a nuisance and alarm to others.

Castles Under Siege

Estate agents who organise the leasing of castles and mansions are reporting a surge in festive tourism with revellers prepared to spend thousands of pounds to enjoy Christmas and/or New Year in a Scottish castle. The cost of a romantic celebration in a baronial home can be as cost effective as booking into a hotel, if sufficient numbers of guests split the cost of the rent. And where else would you get the ambience of a stunning ancient Scottish castle, set in magnificent scenery of mountains, moors and forests? For example, a family from Singapore has booked Dalcross Castle, Inverness, for £4,500 for Christmas week where they will be joined by friends from New York. But many of those besieging Scottish castles during the festive season are from England. Just like old times...

Not So Bonnie Banks

John Muir, who developed the idea of national parks for conservation in the USA, was born in Dunbar on the east coast of Scotland in 1838. But it was not until 2002 that Scotland first created its own national park. It covers 720 square miles and takes in Loch Lomond and Loch Katrine and the Trossachs area of scenic beauty. The park stretches from Crianlarich in the north to Dunoon in the south. The park authority is responsible for conservation and economic development. Many locals are now voicing concerns that it appears to be more concerned with promoting commercial developments than preserving the solitude of the area. Since it came into existence, it has approved new hotels, a golf course, time-share chalets, and other developments along what that famous song calls the "Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond". It has done nothing to resolve the problems it inherited of noisy high-powered craft on Loch Lomond - there are currently 686 jet-skis and 1896 speedboats registered on the loch. And now the Lake District national park, which introduced 10mph speed limits on the noisy jet-skis to cut down on noise and wash, is advising owners to go to Loch Lomond as an alternative if they want to travel faster - the limit on Loch Lomond is 50mph - and there is little effort expended enforcing even that restriction.

New Aberdeen to Oslo Air Route

A new air route from Aberdeen International Airport to Gardermoen Airport in Oslo was announced this week. The new City Star Airlines service will begin on the January 17, 2005 and is being aided by the Scottish Executive's Route Development Fund which provides assistance to new direct air services in their early years as they build up traffic. Aberdeen has strong links with Norway as a result of the North Sea oil industry and both countries will be hoping to see an increase in tourism traffic. The City Star Airlines service will operate twice a day, with a Dornier 328-110 turboprop aircraft. The Route Development Fund has so far triggered 17 new air links between Scotland and overseas destinations ranging from Prague to Pisa and Dubai.

Glasgow Airport Soaring

For some years, Edinburgh Airport has been growing at a faster rate than the air terminal at Glasgow. Although traffic at the capital's Turnhouse airport is still lower than that of Glasgow, it has been catching up fast. But for the last three months the number of passengers at Glasgow has been soaring ahead of Edinburgh. In November, Glasgow grew by an impressive 5.6% compared with last year while Edinburgh had a healthy rise of 4.5%. Overall, the seven UK airports operated by the British Airports Authority grew by 3% in November, so the Scottish operations have been highly successful. In the last twelve months Glasgow has handled 8.5 million passengers and Edinburgh 7.9 million. Traditionally, business at Glasgow has slowed down in the winter after the busy summer months of holiday traffic. New international services, including destinations such as Dubai and Canada and the expansion of Scotland's biggest home-grown airline, Flyglobespan, has kept up the momentum. It is being rumoured that US airline Continental is to increase the frequency of its flights to New York, though as it uses both Edinburgh and Glasgow, both may benefit from that.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Campaigners have fought since the opening of the Skye road bridge in 1995 to have the tolls on the crossing removed. The bridge has helped economic development and tourism and Skye is one of the handful of areas of the Highlands where the population is increasing. But the bridge was built under a private finance arrangement and this, combined with a relatively low level of traffic, has produced one of the highest bridge toll charges in Europe. One of the conditions imposed by the Liberal Democrats in agreeing to a coalition government in the Scottish Parliament was the removal of the toll on the Skye bridge by buying out the owners. The hope is that a deal will be concluded by the end of the year. Of course, the removal of tolls on the Skye bridge then turns the spotlight on other bridge tolls. Politicians in Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire, linked by the Erskine Bridge, have also fought for years to have charges removed there. This bridge over the lower Clyde estuary carries 8.2 million vehicles a year (22,500 a day) compared with the 665,000 (1,800 a day) using the Skye crossing. Although the charges on the Erskine Bridge are lower, the extra traffic means that the tolls generate a far higher income. Meantime, charges on the Forth road bridge (22 million vehicles a year) are likely to rise next year.

Orkney Builds First Community Wind Turbine

There is a new landmark on Orkney's skyline - an 850kW wind turbine standing on top of a 44 metre tower at Northfield, Burray. The wind generator has been fully funded by a consortium of Orkney residents who aim to re-invest the profit the machine generates into similar developments elsewhere in the country. The Scottish Executive supports these small scale projects but the development has been masterminded and financed by a group of independent people from the local community, investing their own resources and expertise, with no loans or grants from the public sector or banks. The group had hoped that Orkney Islands Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise would share equity in the £750,000 project. Both failed to do so in the end, mainly because it is expected to make a profit! The turbine (from Campbeltown-based Vestas-Celtic Wind Technology) can supply power to around 440 homes.

Hogmanay Celebrations Around Scotland

Bringing in the New Year will not be confined to the major celebrations in Edinburgh and Glasgow which get media attention and TV coverage. Aberdeen's Hogmanay Street Party boasts a star studded line up, including Deacon Blue, Hue and Cry and David Sneddon. . This year's party at Stirling Castle is headlined by Lulu who is supported by the Jimi McRae Band and the Royal Burgh of Stirling Pipe Band. The legendary Stonehaven Fireball Festival results in local people celebrating the arrival of the New Year by lighting wire casks filled with paraffin, and then swinging them around as they walk up and down the old town High Street. In the Scottish Borders "The Land, The Light, The Locals" runs from 28th December 2004 - 2nd January 2005 and sees over 100 musicians and performers from all over the Borders, in sessions, concerts and ceilidhs.

A New Day

Previously in this Newsletter I have written about a couple of CDs I have enjoyed by Christopher Dean (who has Scottish roots but lives in Southern California). Chris recently told me about a new a compilation album produced in honour of a friend, Tom Boyer. Tom (a guitarist and recording artist) was diagnosed with throat cancer in September. The net proceeds from the sale of the album are being donated to the San Diego Children's Hospital, Oncology. The CD contains tracks by Tom Boyer's friends, who, for the most part, are touring artists who live in the San Diego area. Some of his friends on the album are internationally recognized guitarists such as Brian Baynes (featuring Albert Lee), Doyle Dykes, Pat Kirtley and Edgar Cruz. A number of the tracks have a Celtic flavour, including Amazing Grace and the Skye Boat Song. Chris' sensitive, tranquil, solo acoustic guitar playing is also featured. "Cop Out" is the first track on the CD and is a particularly jaunty guitar piece by Tom Boyer himself - I had to smile all the way through - and "Just Be Glad" is another inspired track. I think I can see from these pieces why the artists all wanted to contribute. If you want to buy a copy of the CD "A New Day" and help the kids suffering from cancer in San Diego, go to www.cairneyhill.com/cds.htm But you'll need to be quick - 300 of the limited edition of 1,000 CDs have already been sold.

St Andrew's Day in Buenos Aires

Although the celebration of Scotland's patron saint on 30 November is being celebrated a bit more in Scotland these days, it is the Scottish communities around the world who gather in greater numbers to celebrate St Andrew's Day. This is certainly true of the Buenos Aires Scottish Club who joined with the Harrods Gath & Chaves Club to organise the biggest St. Andrew's Day celebration in Argentina, attended by 700 guests. They were entertained by 110 performers including pipers, Highland dancers, singers, recitations and toasts to both Scotland and Argentina. Massed bands playing "Flower of Scotland" brought a lump to many a throat. The centenary of the Scottish Antarctic Expedition of the "Scotia" led by Dr. William Bruce that gave origin to the observatory at "Laurie" island, was also remembered. Ballroom dancing continued until the wee small hours, when everybody joined hands to sing "Auld Lang Syne."

Grousing About the Grouse Season

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association has reported that most Highland estates have had a disastrous grouse season this year due to a combination of low numbers of birds and lengthy spells of wet weather. Many have had to cancel shoots, with a considerable loss of income. Wet weather during the breeding season meant that the number of chicks surviving was cut back as the mother grouse cannot cover all her offspring and so they suffer from hypothermia. However, one Braemar estate bagged an amazing 1,250 brace of birds, beating a record set in 1922. The put their success down to a combination of luck and by controlling predators.

Flushed With Success

The overall winner of the annual "Loo of the Year" awards, announced this week at a gala dinner in Birmingham, was Highland Council. For those of you not familiar with the term "loo" it is a word used to describe a toilet (or "rest room" in some parts of the world). The competition is open to any public loo and Highland Council also won the category for local authority "public conveniences". Also flushed with success was Henger's Circus, a JD Wetherspoon bar on Glasgow who won the award for best pub toilets in Scotland, while Ullapool High School won the secondary school category. The annual Loo of the Year Awards competition has helped focus the spotlight on 'away from home' toilets throughout the UK since 1987 to encourage the highest possible standards.

Comfort Zone for Harassed Men

It couldn't have come at a better time of year. It is well known that many men hate going shopping with their wives and girlfriends, especially as Christmas approaches. So it is surprising that the retail store Marks and Spencers (M&S) is only the first to offer a "crèche" in their Edinburgh Princes Street and Aberdeen stores in which their female shoppers can park their male companions while they get on with the serious business of spending money in the store. M&S are certainly living up to their "Marks and Sparkle" advertising slogan by providing the abandoned males with armchairs, a TV, books, remote controlled cars and a tiny track with electric racing cars whizzing round. Drinks and snacks can be bought - but there's no beer or alcohol. Providing the facilities will, of course, help to increase sales, as the ladies will no longer be distracted by the sighs and moans from their spouses and boyfriends. I hope the idea catches on...

Trumpeting a Scottish Sporting Triumph

By rights, this item should be in the "Sports" section of this Newsletter, but Scotland wins so few sporting World Cups that it seemed appropriate to include it here in case some readers missed it. With the football team now 77th in the world and the rugby team thrashed soundly by both Australia and South Africa, it was understandable that the press here should trumpet about the Scotland team winning the "Tiger Tops Challenge Trophy" - on St Andrews Day no less - in Nepal. For those unfamiliar with this World Championship, it is for - wait for it - elephant polo.... The tournament began 23 years ago and the Scottish team has been sponsored by Scotch whisky brand Chivas Regal since 1997. The Scottish team last won the trophy in 2001, so being champions at elephant polo is nothing new. It's not that there is a youth development programme for elephant polo players in Scotland and the team can't really practice much as there are no polo playing elephants in Scotland. So the elephants are "driven" (if that's the right word) by local mahouts (drivers) and the players just whack the ball when they get within range. Registered as an Olympic sport with the Nepal Olympic Committee, elephant polo was invented by Scotsman James Manclark and Briton Jim Edwards in 1983. Eight teams, including those from places such as Hong Kong, Thailand, India and the UK competed in the week-long tournament. Scotland broke the elephant's backs of the National Parks of Nepal team by thundering to a 12-6 win in the final game to win the trophy. Now, where is our international tiddly-winks team playing their next match?

Weather in Scotland This Week

In a mild winter (so far) such as this one, it is hard to realise that temperatures this week were around 9/11C (48/52C) and reached 12/13C (54/55F) in a couple of locations. Having spent two weeks many years ago in Inverness in summertime when the temperatures did not rise above 12C, I find having similar temperatures in December surprising. Of course, there was little sunshine around - Wednesday was the one dat this week when there was a wintry sun for any length of time. However, rainfall was mainly light, so it was just leaden skies we had to contend with. The outlook over the next few days is for the weather to continue in this vein.

This week's illustrations of current flora and fauna in Scotland shows first of all some Greylag Geese on Hogganfield Loch in Glasgow. There were 100/200 of these large birds passing through earlier this week, though there are usually some feeding on the loch long enough to learn that humans will often provide bread for them to eat!

The first illustration below is of the lovely markings of a female Mallard - one of the commonest of British wild duck. The smaller Gadwall is a much rarer dabbling duck. This one was on its own in Drumpellier Country Park and could easily be missed amongst all the Mallards.

Finally, just to show that the sun did actually appear this week, there is an illustration of the setting sun at Drumpellier - with some of the ducks sailing past

Future of Burns Cottage Under More Threat

The "Tam o'Shanter Experience" in Alloway in South Ayrshire is to be put up for lease by the local authority and a number of commercial operators have expressed an interest. Revenue from the tourist attraction which has a cafeteria, gift shop and a video presentation of the Burns poem, is used to subsidise the Burns Cottage, where Scotland's national poet was born, and the Burns Monument . None of the commercial operators would want to continue to subsidise the cottage, even though it is this which brings most of the visitors to Alloway. The cottage and its artefacts are deteriorating due to a lack of finance for proper humidity and heating controls. A bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund has not so far been successful.

Castle Makeover

Twelve months ago property developer Mary McMillan bough crumbling Seton Castle near Longniddry, nine miles from Edinburgh, for £1.5 million from the Earl of Wemyss. She also had to convince the earl that she was going to lovingly restore the castle to its former glory. Designed in 1789 by Robert Adam, the building was in a dreadful state but, after twelve months of hard work, the property is back on the market - for a cool £13.5 million. A team of property experts have researched the castle and chose designs which were in keeping with the style and scale of the Adam building. The magnificent hallway with a sweeping staircase has a rich red wall covering, while the dining room has emerald green silk damask on the walls. The original Adam fireplaces were retained of course, but new heating, stereo sound systems and security have not been overlooked. There are 14 bedrooms including a 440sq ft master bedroom, drawing room, dining room, library study, gallery and a basement with snooker room and staff quarters.

Historic Photographic Collections Saved

The photographic record of half a century of Scottish cultural life which was created by the art promoter Richard Demarco has been lying in boxes for many years. Demarco has been trying to raise the funds to create a permanent home for his photographic record of the Edinburgh International Festival, but Edinburgh City Council seem more concerned about his non-payment of rent for the old Edinburgh High School than finding funds for displaying the collection. At one stage, it had been hoped to set up a Scottish Photography Gallery in the imposing building (pictured here). Now the National Galleries of Scotland and the University of Dundee have won a £300,000 grant to digitise the highlights of the photographic collection and make them available online to a world-wide audience. Demarco has created a "memory bank" of the faces and places he encountered as artistic director of the Traverse Gallery from 1963 to 1966 and as director of the Richard Demarco Gallery until 1998. As well as images of Sean Connery from his days as a male model at Edinburgh College of Art, the archive includes, for example, fly-on-the-wall impressions of the writers Seamus Heaney and George Steiner, theatre impresario Tadeusz Kantor, and artists Marina Abramovic, James Turrell and Blinky Palermo.

Next Week in History

• December 12 1574 - Anne of Denmark, wife of King James VI, born.
• December 13 1585 - William Drummond, poet, born.
• December 14 1542 - James V died at Falkland Palace. Mary Queen of Scots succeeded him.
• December 14 1896 - Glasgow District Underground opened, powered by electricity.
• December 14 1947 - Will Fyfe, comedian, died.
• December 14 1967 - University of Stirling instituted by Royal charter.
• December 16 1653 - Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.
• December 16 1838 - Thomas Blake Glover, founding father of Japan's industrialisation (including Mitsubishi) and Japanese Navy, born Fraserburgh. December 17 1502 - Marriage contract between James IV and Margaret Tudor signed by King James.
• December 17 1907 - Lord Kelvin, scientist and inventor, died.
• December 17 1956 - Petrol rationing was imposed following the Suez crisis and the closure of the canal.
• December 18 1661 - Many Scottish historical records were lost when the ship Elizabeth of Burntisland sank off the English coast. The records had been taken to London by Oliver Cromwell and were being returned to Edinburgh.
• December 18 1780 - Society of Antiquaries founded.
• December 18 1870 - Birth of Hector Munro. He wrote short stories under the pseudonym "Saki".
• December 18 1969 - Death penalty for murder was formally abolished in Britain.

Stories of Connery Retirement "Greatly Exaggerated"

Sir Sean Connery was stirred if not shaken into insisting that recent reports of his retirement from film making had been greatly exaggerated. The 74-year-old Edinburgh-born actor claimed at the 4th Marrakech International Film Festival that he was still open to new projects. He is currently writing his biography which is taking longer than expected. Once that has been completed, he hopes to be back on the silver screen. Connery was attending the film festival with his French-Moroccan wife Micheline. One of Connery's biggest successes was "The Man Who Would Be King" which was made in Morocco with John Huston directing.

Lena Martell Outsells Kylie and Britney

Scots recording star Lena Martell has been out of the pop charts for quite some time as a result of her own health problems and caring for her mother who was ill for seven years. But her first album for ten years, entitled "One Day at a Time" is outselling pop divas like Kylie Minogue and Britney Spears in record stores across Scotland. New albums by U2 and Maroon5 are still the best sellers in Edinburgh and Glasgow stores, but Lena is dominating sales in other areas of the country. Glasgow-born Lena, now aged 57, has always been popular in Scotland and had her first hit record in 1961. She has nine gold discs and one platinum and 12 million viewers regularly tuned into the Lena Martell Show which ran from 1972 to 1982. Badly advised property deals led to her bankruptcy in 1992. Her many fans will be hoping that the new album will relaunch her career.

Glasgow's Hogmanay

Snow Patrol (pictured here) headline Glasgow's biggest party of the year when 25,000 revellers will descend on George Square to see in the New Year. The show begins at 8.30pm with Strathclyde Police Pipe Band, followed by renowned DJs and young local bands, Sound Development Agency and The Midden. Snow Patrol end the year in style, on stage from 11.10pm until after the bells.

Craig Takes Over from Craig

The new host of the "Late Late Show" (weeknights at 12.35am on CBS in the US) is to be Scottish actor Craig Ferguson, who played the boss for many years on "The Drew Carey Show." He takes over from Craig Kilborn, who announced in August that he was leaving the post-Letterman talk show after five years. Ferguson has a Scottish burr and was selected from four finalists for the job, beating Michael Ian Black, comedian D.L. Hughley and MTV "Total Request Live" host Damien Fahey.

The Tubes at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut

San Francisco punk rock veterans the Tubes have apparently ditched their X-rated presentations and are planning to grow old relatively gracefully. They performed this week to a packed audience at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow - though in the small venue, a crowd is not perhaps too difficult to conjure up. Frontman Fee Waybill took on the role of a masked bandit to provide a justification for performing "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and then became a Vaudeville showman for the 1980s rock "She’s a Beauty". The small stage apparently created an element of chaos but the audience loved the stupidity and gratuitous theatrics.

Ginger Spice Coming to Glasgow

Former Spice girl Geri Halliwell - known as Ginger Spice - is to perform at a solo gig at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow on 6 May next year. It will be her first solo tour since quitting the Spice Girls in May 1998. Not that she has been idle - she has produced two hit albums. She was away from the pop scene for three years, however, and returned with a new single last month which peaked at number four in the charts.

Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results

Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 Rangers 1
Celtic 0 AC Milan 0 (Champions League Group stage)

Bank of Scotland Premierleague Results - 11 December

Dundee United 3 Kilmarnock 0
Hibernian 2 Aberdeen 1
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 Heart of Midlothian 1
Motherwell 2 Livingston 0
Rangers 3 Dundee 0
Dunfermline v Celtic will be played on Sunday

Scottish First Division Results - 11 December

Airdrie United 0 St Johnstone 0
Clyde 1 Partick Thistle 1
Hamilton 1 Raith Rovers 0
Queen of the South 1 Ross County 0
St Mirren 0 Falkirk 1

BT Scotland Rugby Division 1 Results - 11 December

Gala 18 Melrose 21
Currie 49 Watsonians 8
Boroughmuir 32 Glasgow Hutchesons' 8
Glasgow Hawks 16 Ayr 7
Biggar 6 Aberdeen 29
Hawick 10 Heriots 34

League Tables

Rangers spell at the top of the Scottish Premier League only lasted for a week as the Ibrox club shocked supporters by only managing a 1-1 draw last Sunday against Inverness Caledonian Thistle - who are near the foot of the league. The result put Celtic back on top by one point. Rangers had many key players unable to play in Inverness because of injury and were still suffering from their 1-1 draw against Alkmaar in the UEFA Cup earlier in the week. As Celtic do not play this week's league match (against Dunfermline) until Sunday, Rangers are back on top after Saturday's win against Dundee. Aberdeen are still in third place, but are 9 points behind Rangers after losing to Hibernian. Hibs are chasing hard, 4 points behind Aberdeen and one point ahead of Motherwell in fourth place. At the foot of the SPL, Dundee have 13 points, two points adrift from the trio of Inverness, Livingston and Dundee United.

Falkirk moved further ahead at the top if the First Division due to a combination of defeating challengers St Mirren and then Clyde only managing a draw on Saturday. Falkirk are now 11 points clear of Clyde with St Mirren one point further back. At the foot of the First Division, Raith Rovers have 7 points, 11 behind Hamilton and Partick Thistle.

In the BT Scotland Rugby Division 1, Heriot's remain on top with 60 points, 5 ahead of Glasgow Hawks (who still have a game in hand). At the foot of the table, Gala have only 11 points, 7 behind Watsonians.

Celtic Out of Europe

Celtic went into their European Champions League group match against AC Milan knowing that although they were above Shakhtar Donetsk from the Ukraine in Group F, they needed to beat AC Milan to be certain of a consolation slot in the UEFA Cup. However, despite a gritty performance they only managed a 0-0 draw against Milan. Meantime, in the Ukraine, Shakhtar won a shock 2-0 victory over mighty Barcelona to snatch the UEFA Cup place away from Celtic. In their six Champion League matches this season, Celtic have only managed to win one match and draw twice in what admittedly was acknowledged to be a difficult group. Rangers and Hearts are still in contention in the group stage of the UEFA Cup, with final matches next week to decide their fate.

Inverness Coming Home

The Scottish Premier League voted this week to allow Inverness Caledonian Thistle to play their home games at their own ground in Inverness, instead of being forced to travel to Aberdeen. When Inverness gained promotion by winning the First Division title at the end of last season, they were told that their ground did not meet the minimum SPL standards at that time. They had to lease Aberdeen's stadium for all home matches, forcing their fans into a 200 mile round trip to see their team. Now the SPL say that the Inverness ground must be capable of having 6,000 covered seats and under-soil heating by 21 January but the club are confident they can achieve this. Fortunately, when they negotiated the expensive lease with Aberdeen, they had an escape clause covering any opportunity to return to Inverness. The first game scheduled in Inverness will be the visit of Dunfermline, new manager Craig Brewster’s old club, on Saturday, January 29.

Friday Night Football

The requirements of satellite TV programming mean that one or two Scottish Premier League matches are played on a Sunday these days. But now Sky Sports has switched coverage of its selected Tennent's Scottish Cup third-round tie next month to a Friday night. The move is not welcomed by the fans - and the police have also expressed concern as the prospect of policing a top match on a Friday night, when their resources are already stretched. The draw has yet to be made, but Sky are likely to select a match involving either Celtic or Rangers. The reason for moving to Friday evening is that the third round of the Scottish Cup and the English Football Association Cup have clashed on the Saturday for the first time in three years. Blanket coverage of the English games means that there is no time for a Scottish Cup match for which Sky have a four-year £24 million contract with the Scottish Football Association.

AC Milan Look to Paisley

Obviously winning the World Cup three times is not enough and AC Milan are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to win the championship again. So, of course, they have turned a stone in Paisley in their quest to keep them on top. In Scotland we bemoan the small pool of talent, but AC Milan know better and are setting up a football academy in Paisley to spot potential stars - and whisk them off to Italy. Representatives have been discussing a deal with the University of Paisley that will result in the Italians basing some of their own world-class coaches at the university’s engineering and science campus. A Milan Junior Camp there will provide the opportunity for Scottish children aged between five and 18 to receive world-class training and - if they are good enough - the chance to play for the club. If they are successful (and they run similar operations in other countries) it will save the club huge transfer fees to buy players discovered and developed elsewhere. In the past, Scottish players such as Denis Law, Joe Jordan and Graham Souness played for Italian clubs.