The Rampant Scotland Newsletter - your weekly insight into what has been happening in Scotland, snipped from the Scottish media, for Scots in Scotland and abroad, bringing you news, events plus a Scottish magazine section. Printed with 100% recycled electrons.Previous editions of this Newsletter are available in the Archive> and the Index to the other pages of the Rampant Scotland site is available here>.
The Scottish Snippets Newsletter in its original format began in April 1997 and continued in an unbroken series for 591 issues. Although no longer produced in that format there is now a regular update on the new and updated pages on the Rampant Scotland site and also "Scottie's Diary" on an intermittent basis, To receive this, kust send an e-mail to Scottie with "Subscribe Newsletter" in the subject line.
>
Click on the picture to see all 12 calendar views...
Current Affairs
Historical Affairs - Topical Items from Scotland's Past
Entertainment
Scots Abroad
Sport
In the First Division, Hamilton remain at the top, 4 points ahead of Dundee, while Stirling Albion (5 points) and Dunfermline (6 points) trail at the other end of the table.
Ross County lead Raith Rovers by 2 points in the Second Division. Berwick Rangers and Brechin each have 5 points at the foot of the division.
East Fife have just a one point advantage over East Fife to lead the Third Division while Forfar trails 3 points behind Elgin at the foot of that league.
In the Scottish Rugby Premiership 1, Boroughmuir have a 3 point lead over Melrose at the top of the table. Edinburgh Academicals bring up the rear, one point adrift from Dundee. A ponderous Celtic continued their poor away performance in Europe in their European Champions League match in Ukraine against Shakhtar Donetsk. Celtic were down 2-0 after 8 minutes to the slick Ukrainians and Celtic did well to keep the score at that level after 90 minutes. Much of the credit for that must go to their busy goalkeeper Artur Boruc.
Rangers were at home against VfB Stuttgart in their group match in the Champions League and opened their campaign with a valuable three points, despite the German side opening the scoring early in the second half. But Rangers fought back and Charlie Adams curled in an equaliser soon after and Jean Claude Darcheville smashed in a 74th minute penalty to seal the victory. Magazine Section
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
Final Farewell to QE2
The luxury Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth 2 (known more usually these days as "QE2") was launched on the Clyde on September 20, 1967 at John Brown's shipyard at Clydebank. As of September, 2007, the QE2 has travelled 5.6 million nautical miles, including 25 circumnavigations of the globe, 801 transatlantic crossings, 705 calls at New York, and 697 at Southampton. 2.5 million passengers have sailed on the ship. So it was fitting that exactly 40 years after its launch, the venerable lady of the seas should call in at the Clyde - for the last time. The QE2 has been sold as a floating hotel at Palm Jumeirah, Dubai and will leave Cunard's service next year. Tens of thousands made the journey to Greenock to see the QE2. Some had been involved in her construction; others had not been born when she was launched. All were keen to see a vessel that epitomised the craftsmanship and traditions of Clyde shipbuilding. Traffic on the roads leading into and through the town slowed to a crawl but those who got there by 12.15pm were rewarded by an aerobatic tribute from the RAF "Red Arrows" display team. There were a number of pipe bands and activities for the kids in the afternoon. But it was just a great shame that the ship was berthed behind warehouses, large containers and cranes on the dockside. So many who had endured the long journey to Greenock only had a distant glimpse of the ship poking out from behind these obstructions. Those who stayed till the ship left at 6.15pm were able to see her in all her glory - Scotland's Saltire flags waving from the mast. And those with some local knowledge, went to the vantage point at Lyle Hill and got a grand view of the liner from there throughout the day.
Scots Teachers Among Best Paid in World
A report by the UN's OECD has revealed that Scottish teachers are the 5th best paid in the world, ranked five places higher than England and ahead of the United States in 12th position. Only teachers in Luxembourg, Switzerland, Korea and Germany are paid more than those in Scotland. Starting salaries for Scottish teachers have risen by 20% in real terms since 1996. Teachers in Scotland also spend the highest proportion of their time teaching in class, coming out top of 11 other nations on that measure.
Major Makeover for Edinburgh's Haymarket
A large vacant site near Edinburgh's Haymarket station, which is currently used as a car park, is to undergo a startling new redevelopment which will create a new 180-bed five-star hotel, a three-star hotel and a substantial amount of public space. In the centre of the site will be a major triangular office building. The aim of the five-star hotel is to give Edinburgh a third "railway hotel" in the tradition of the Balmoral and Caledonian hotels that were built around 1900.
Worst Wee Slogan in the World?
The previous First Minister, Jack McConnell introduced the slogan "the best wee country in the world" three years ago to market the country and send out a message that it was a great place to live, work and study as well as the ideal tourist destination. Nearly £250,000 of public money was spent proclaiming the slogan at every Scottish airport. But a report published this week has revealed that the campaign backfired disastrously. Research by Ipsos/Mori found that people in America, China and Germany found the claim "boastful, exaggerated and lacking credibility." Despite attempts to boost Scotland's image in those three countries, people's knowledge of it was "generally low". They generally associated Scotland with the traditional image of bagpipes, kilts and whisky. The new Scottish Government has made no secret of the fact that it disliked the slogan. Scottish Ministers are said to be "in the process of deciding how their ambitions for Scotland can best be taken forward, to make the most of Scotland's image and reputation at home and abroad."
Platform for Change
Passengers who have had to put up with Partick Station in Glasgow looking more like a building site for the last two years, were being encouraged this week with graphic images of what the new transport hub will look like when it finally opens early next year. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Network Rail claim that the two million passengers who use the combined rail, underground and bus station each year will see the ageing station transformed into a modern, stylish transport interchange. New ticket offices are already operating and waiting rooms are being extended. There will be two new lifts, refurbished escalators and new retail units. Partick Interchange is also being fitted with improved customer information displays and state of the art CCTV security coverage throughout. Costs have soared, of course, from an original £9.7 million to £12.7 million and the project has been dogged by delays.
20th Annual Planetary Congress
Scores of astronauts, cosmonauts and space experts touched down in Edinburgh this week for the 20th Annual Planetary Congress. It was the first time that Britain had hosted the event in which 300 delegates debated space exploration and education. Among the explorers taking part were US astronaut John Fabian and former cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to walk in space - in 1965. This year's event was promoted by Careers Scotland which hopes to inspire young people to get involved in science. Teams of astronauts and scientists are to visit every local education area in the country to speak to schools about their experiences.
Eurostar to Paris from Scotland
The Channel Tunnel and its Eurostar rail service from London to Paris and Brussels opened in 1994, but the operator dropped plans for a direct service starting in Edinburgh and Glasgow. So Scots who wanted to use the high speed rail service had to travel to London and make their way across London to the Eurostar terminal at Waterloo. And the operator could not offer through tickets to France and Belgium, forcing would-be customers to book their own connections on domestic services. But now that Eurostar has moved to a new rail hub at St Pancras station in London, rail travellers from Scotland will be able to book their tickets through the one booking system. They will still travel by the usual UK services from Glasgow to Euston and Edinburgh to King's Cross in London. But both stations are a relatively short hop from St Pancras and the Channel tunnel rail service. To boost the new arrangements, Eurostar are offering fares of just £89 return and claim that the journey time to Paris will be "only" nine hours from Scotland.
Picture via Wikipedia.
Shortest Airport Queues in Britain
A new web site which encourages airline passengers to record how long they have waited at check-in, immigration and security at UK airports has - at least so far - shown that Glasgow has the shortest delays of all. The average time to be processed in Glasgow was just 20 minutes - while London's Gatwick airport was the worst in the UK with an average of 76 minutes. Of course, Gatwick is much busier than Glasgow, but some other smaller airports did badly - Cardiff passengers waited in line for nearly an hour. Passengers at Manchester airport took 37 minutes waiting at the airline check-in desks but in Glasgow the average wait was just two minutes.
Russians Are Coming
A new direct air charter service between Moscow and Edinburgh is to begin next year and VisitScotland officials are predicting that it will result in a major influx of high-spending Russian tourists. Last year, 26,000 Russians came to Scotland and early estimates suggest that the numbers may be up by over 35% this year. Attracted by the scenery, history and heritage, the average Russian tourist spends £1,148 during their stay in the country, more than any other nationality. An increase in their numbers due to direct air connections could significantly increase the value to the Scottish economy. They are often the most affluent Russians, staying at the top hotels and on average they stay for more than seven days. They need a visa to come here, so the UK is not a "short break" destination for them.
Aberdeen Wins 40th Beautiful Scotland Title
Aberdeen lifted the top prize in the "City" category in the UK-wide Britain in Bloom competition, the results for which were announced this week in Dundee's Caird Hall. That was the 40th consecutive win for the Granite City in that category. The judges were impressed by Union Street and Union Terrace, with their bedding plants and use of hanging baskets and planters. There were also many fine examples of residential gardens, which add to the overall impact for a visitor. The judges also highlighted Aberdeen’s unstinting efforts to keep the streets clean. In some of the other categories, Perth took the large town award and the premier Rosebowl prize went to North Berwick. The best village trophy was again won by Falkland in Fife.
Meeting the Demand for Whisky
The rising demand for Scotch malt whisky around the world, particularly in the Far East and an expected increase in sales to India now that tariffs there have been reduced, means that producers are having to look at ways of increasing production. With malt whisky made today not reaching consumers for perhaps a decade or more, a lot of long-term planning is required involving everyone in the supply chain, from farmers who grow the malted barley to the distillers who make the water of life and mature it for ten to twenty years. Already, the price of malted barley grown in Scotland has risen significantly. All those involved are expected to hold discussions later this year to see how the industry can meet the demands over the next 20 years.
Scotland's Highest Rated Restaurant
The "Good Food Guide 2008", has placed Restaurant Martin Wishart as the top rated establishment in Scotland - for the second year running. He beat rival gastronomes Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles and Tom Kitchin in Leith who both made it into the top 40 in the UK. Produced by the Consumer's Association magazine "Which?", the Good Food Guide is based on expert inspections and reader feedback on several meals rather than just the one. It accepts no advertising, sponsorship or fees for inclusion, and all of the inspections are entirely anonymous. Martin Wishart gave Edinburgh its first Michelin Star in 2001 and, more recently, the title of Scottish Chef of the Year 2006 and the EatScotland Gold Award in May 2007. In September 2005, Restaurant Martin Wishart was awarded its 4th AA Rosette. His restaurant at The Shore in Edinburgh’s Port of Leith is famous for its French menu with a Scottish twist.
Book Makes a Few Boab
A copy of the 1959 "The Broons" annual came up for auction this week and attracted a lot of attention from collectors. It had ben a birthday gift to a young girl by the artist Dudley D. Watkins, who drew the Broons’ family characters for many years. The dedication and birthday message on the fly-leaf included an ink drawing of another Watkins character, Oor Wullie. The book had been bought some years ago at a car boot sale for 5 pence. This week, there were a few mutters of "Help ma boab" - a catch phrase used by the cartoon characters - as the annual sold for £1,350.
Record for Oat Cuisine
Edinburgh Farmers' Market was the unlikely setting for a world record attempt - which smashed the previous one set earlier this year. Cooks from Stoats Porridge Bars brought to the boil a massive 178 pounds of oats to make the largest ever bowl of porridge. Stirred with a six-foot stick (properly called a spurtle), it was sufficient for 2,000 people to have their breakfast porridge.
Weather in Scotland This Week
The cooler weather of last weekend continued into the early part of the week. On Monday, Aberdeen's maximum temperature was only 9C (48F) and Edinburgh wasn't much better at 11C (52F). There was also a strong wind on a number of days, especially on Tuesday, making it feel even chillier. By Wednesday, however, the temperatures had recovered somewhat, with most places reaching a maximum of 15/16C (59/61F) except in the Western Isles. There were a number of spells of sunshine, with the west and the Outer Hebrides faring best for that. The outlook is for the weather to continue changeable, with temperatures edging down as the week progresses.
This Week's Colour Supplement
This week's large format photographs taken in Scotland to show the current season and its flora and fauna include Kinross House, which was begun in 1686, by the architect Sir William Bruce; Painted Lady Butterfly enjoy feeding on the globular flowers of Echinops (see thumbnail here); Peacock Butterfly with its curled up tongue (proboscis); Goldenrod (Solidago) with its frothy spikes of long-lasting, golden yellow flowers; last of the Swallows before they return to their winter quarters in southern Africa - 6,000 miles away; Loch Leven Castle.See
This Week's Colour Supplement.
Revamp for Historic Cathedral
Plans for a £6 million makeover for one of Glasgow's most historic places of worship were given the go-ahead this week. St Andrew's Cathedral in Clyde Street was completed in 1816 and was the first legal Catholic place of worship in the city since the Reformation in the 16th century. The refurbishment will extend the cathedral and increase its 600-seat capacity. There will also be a new religious garden, cafe and community facility and the interior seating and heating system are to be replaced. The refurbishment is expected to take around 12 months to complete and will be carried out in separate phases. It is possible that masses and ceremonies at the 191-year-old cathedral may have to be moved to other places of worship to allow the building work to take place.
Let's Club Together for a £150,000 Putter
A rare golf club made in Leith is being auctioned later this month in Sotheby's in New York and is estimated to sell for over £150,000. It's not as if the new owner can expect to improve his game with the 300-year-old wooden club which is attributed to Andrew Dickson. He was the world's first named caddie and he carried the Duke of York's clubs on Leith Links in 1681. He went on to become a clubmaker in the port. Several top international golf clubs, museums and private collectors are thought to be interested.
Next Week in Scottish History
Kylie Comes to Kelvingrove
Well, not Kylie Minogue herself, but 45 costumes, 60 photographs, album covers and video footage on display at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. They went on display on Friday in a special exhibition that runs until January. The items on show range from the overalls she wore as Charlene in "Neighbours" to the gold lamé hotpants she wore in her "Spinning Around" video (bought at a market stall for 50 pence). Many of her glamorous dresses are also on show as well a the stunning hooded white muslin jumpsuit she wore in the video for Can't Get You Out Of My Head in 2001. Kelvingrove Museum welcomed over 3 million visitors in its first year after its refurbishment and clearly visitor numbers will be kept at a high level by staging popular exhibitions such as this.
Picture via Wikipedia.
Painting Red Square Tartan
Kremlin Zoria, modelled on the Tattoo in Edinburgh, has been entertaining Muscovites this week with pipes and drums from around the globe. The Russians maintained their secretive reputation, however, with members of the Blackwatch and other Scottish battalions surrounded by armed soldiers. The show was deemed such a success that there is already talk about making it an annual event. The former producer of the Edinburgh tattoo helped organise this show. But it is unlikely that the new kid on the Eastern bloc will have an impact on the Edinburgh event - that sells out months in advance every year.
Ghost Tours at Spooky Traquair House
Traquair House, south of Peebles, is considered to be the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. The earliest part of the current building dates from 1107. So it has a long 900 year history - and maybe a few ghosts lurking around too. So what better place to enjoy Halloween? You can join the ghosts of Traquair's past as they come to life and take you on a guided tour as have never experienced before. You will find out who actually lived there and the stories of their remarkable lives. Of course, there may be a few doors creaking unexpectedly and the wind may whistle through the windows - or is it a ghost? The Halloween ghost tours take place on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th October. Then on Sunday, there is a day of ghostly family fun at Traquair, with traditional Halloween games, an owl and falconry display, ghost stories in the library - and a witches and wizard workshop. See www.traquair.co.uk.
Scottish Culture Around the World
The main focus of the Scottish Snippets is news items, usually about Scotland. But the "Scots Abroad" section, invites folk to write in about Scottish-related events in their part of the world. It allows publicity for them and an appreciation by others of just how much Scottish culture is perpetuated in every corner of the globe.
Book of Scottish Connections
The Registrar General for Scotland is planning to introduce a new public record to be known as the "Book of Scottish Connections" (BSC). For the first time, people all over the world, with a Scots connection, will be able to apply (for a fee) for a birth, death, marriage, or civil partnership abroad to be recorded in the BSC held by the Registrar General in Edinburgh (provided that the event has already been registered with the civil registration authorities of the country in question). A commemorative certificate of the event (and the Scots connection) will then be available from the registration service in Scotland, to be preserved as a part of the family history record. If you think you might be interested in applying to have an event recorded, you are asked to complete a simple on-line enquiry form to allow the Registrar to assess the likely demand. See Book of Scottish Connections.
Celtic Arts Festival, Dunedin
Dunedin's "Celtic Arts Festival" takes place from 4-16 October in what is described as the "Celtic capital of New Zealand". It celebrates the music, dance, arts and culture they share with their ancestors. Leading performers include the inimitable Dick Gaughan, as well as Christchurch based "Ben the Hoose" - fiddler Kenny Ritch (from Orkney), and singer/songwriter Bob McNeill (from Glasgow). Other events include "Celtic Cloth" (a textile exhibition and workshops), "Celtic Ecclesiastics" (spirituality and cemetery tours and church services) and "Celtic Artisans" (dance and music workshops, film and museum exhibitions, book and CD launches). For more details, see Celtic Arts Festival, Dunedin.
Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results
Dundee United 2 St Mirren 0
Aberdeen 0 Dnipro (Ukraine) 0 (UEFA Cup first round, first leg)
Rangers 2 VfB Stuttgart 1 (European Champions League, Group E)
Shakhtar Donetz (Ukraine) 2 Celtic 0 (European Champions League, Group D)Clydesdale Bank Premierleague Results - 22 September 2007
Falkirk 1 Motherwell 0
Gretna 3 Dundee United 2
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2 Heart of Midlothian 1
Kilmarnock 0 St Mirren 0
Hibernian v Celtic and Rangers v Aberdeen will be played on Sunday.Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Results - 22 September 2007
Clyde 2 Dunfermline 1
Hamilton 1 Livingston 1
Greenock Morton 2 St Johnstone 2
Partick Thistle 2 Queen of the South 0
Stirling Albion 2 Dundee 2Irn-Bru Scottish Football League Second Division Results - 22 September 2007
Airdrie United 2 Brechin City 1
Alloa 3 Cowdenbeath 2
Berwick Rangers 0 Ross County 1
Peterhead 1 Queens Park 0
Raith Rovers 2 Ayr United 3Irn-Bru Scottish Football League Third Division Results - 22 September 2007
Arbroath 1 Albion Rovers 0
Dumbarton 1 East Fife 1
Elgin 6 East Stirling 0
Forfar 1 Montrose 4
Stenhousemuir 1 Stranraer 4Scottish Rugby Premiership 1 Results - 22 September 2007
Dundee 13 Melrose 46
Glasgow Hawks 27 Edinburgh Academicals 7
Hawick 37 Glasgow Hutchesons 30
Heriots 17 Ayr 27
Stirling County 13 Boroughmuir 52
Watsonians 27 Currie 16100th Camanachd Cup Final (Shinty)
Fort William 3 Inveraray 1
League Tables
Celtic and Rangers both play on Sunday, so the position at the top is unchanged from last Saturday, with Celtic on 16 points and Rangers 15. Dundee United retained their 3rd position, despite the surprise defeat by Gretna. At the foot of the SPL, wins by both Inverness and Gretna cancelled one another out and both teams remain fixed to the bottom of the table, with Gretna one point ahead of Inverness.
Mixed Fortunes for Scottish Clubs in Europe
Aberdeen, Celtic and Rangers were playing in European competitions this week and they had mixed results. Aberdeen drew 0-0 against Dnipro (a Ukrainian side from the city of Dnipropetrovsk), in their first round, first leg UEFA Cup match. This was Aberdeen's first competitive game in Europe for five years and the club has had an indifferent start to the SPL this season, with goal scoring a problem for them. But fans reckoned the match against Dnipro was their best so far this season. The second leg is on 4 October in the Ukraine.
Sell-out for Ukrainian Euro 2008 Match
There was a long queue this week when tickets for the crucial Euro 2008 qualifying match against Ukraine on October 13 went on sale. Some fans waited in line overnight at Hampden Stadium to make sure that they got their tickets. By morning, there were 1,200 fans waiting in the queue. Within an hour, all the tickets available at the stadium were snapped up and the telephone hotline was jammed all morning. Scotland still need 7 points from three matches to be sure of going to the Euro 2008 finals. After the game against Ukraine, Scotland are away to Georgia on 17 October and the final game is at home - against Italy.
Rugby World Cup
Scotland have got off to a good start at the Rugby World Cup, defeating Portugal 56-10 and following that up against Romania when they raced to a 42-0 win from six tries. They face tougher opposition on Sunday, however, when they play the all conquering All Blacks. After that, the Scots will be hoping for a place in the quarter-finals by defeating Italy next Sunday.
Cheers at Murrayfield
There were cheers of a different kind at Murrayfield when Scotland played Romania on Tuesday. The 25-year-old ban on selling alcohol at international rugby matches was lifted earlier this month and sixteen mobile bars were set up at various locations around the stadium to allow fans to have a "wee refreshment" and say "cheers". The gates to the stadium were opened two hours before kick-off to allow spectators to turn up early and use the facilities. Of course, the Scottish Rugby Union will rake in the profits from the enterprise, for the benefit of the game in Scotland. It may also help to avoid the last-minute rush into the stadium by spectators who have been drinking in nearby hotels and bars.
Rally Driver Dies in Helicopter Crash
A day-trip for family and friends of former rally driver Colin McRae ended in tragedy when the helicopter he was flying crashed in flames 200 yards from his home in Lanarkshire. McRae, his five-year-old son Johnny, a six-year-old friend and another adult were all killed. Colin McRae was the son of five-time British Rally Champion, Jimmy McRae. Colin won the world rally driver's title in 1995, was championship runner-up in 1996, 1997 and 2001, and third in 1998. He helped lead Subaru to the Manufacturers' title in 1995, 1996 and 1997, and Citroën in 2003.
100th Camanachd Cup Final
A team of Golden Lions sky divers delivered the match ball for the start of the 100th Camanachd Cup at Bught Park in Inverness between Fort William and Inveraray. The Fort lost out last year to Kingussie and had won the cup on only two previous occasions. The Aray Boys had won the premier trophy of the shinty season four times and had hoped to repeat their victory in 2004 over Fort William. But it was Fort William that scored first, just before the break, following that up with a saved penalty. Ten minutes before the end, however, Inveraray equalised - only to concede two goals before the end, making the final score Fort William 3, Inveraray 1.