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Bog bards flushed about new book

2009-11-16T08:25:00.000-06:00

BBC Scotland - 14 Nov 2009

A Shetland project which aims to put new writing in public toilets attracted poets from all over the world.

Now a book of the best 24 Bards in the Bog poems is to be launched on World Toilet Day. The final selection of work was made by 2009 TS Eliot prize winner Jen Hadfield.

All profits from the book will be donated to the World Toilet Organisation which is committed to improving global sanitation.

The competition was launched in February by the Shetland Islands Council Library Service. Entries were received from countries such as Poland, France, Canada, and the US, as well as many from throughout the UK.

The library service wanted to give budding writers the chance to get their work read and also bring poetry to a wider audience.

Better sanitation

They had almost a captive audience, as the poems were displayed on the inside of toilet cubicles in public buildings all across the isles.

Local councillor Gussie Angus said: "This low-cost project has had far-reaching effects, with many people reading poetry for the first time in many years." The new publication will be launched at the Shetland Library on Thursday 19 November to coincide with World Toilet Day.

According to the World Toilet Organisation over 2.5bn people are without access to proper sanitation, which risks their health, strips their dignity and kills more than 1.8m people a year.

On Friday 20 November a special gala evening of poetry will be held in the Shetland Library. All 24 poems will be read aloud by some of the local writers who feature in the book. There will also be toilet-themed music and a chance to buy the new publication, which costs £5.

2009-11-12T09:14:00.001-06:00

In Flanders Fields

2009-11-10T08:41:00.004-06:00

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

2009-11-06T15:44:00.000-06:00

McCaig's Folly

2009-11-04T09:06:00.000-06:00

The skyline above the Scottish coastal town of Oban in Argyllshire is dominated by a building looking like a replica of the Colosseum in Rome. It is known as locally as "McCaig's Tower", but many are more familiar with the term "McCaig's Folly".

It was built over a period of three years, beginning in 1897 by a local banker, John Stuart McCaig. The structure was erected at a cost of £5,000 as a job creation scheme at a time of high unemployment in the area.

McCaig's intention was for a museum to be housed within and for displayed statues of himself and family. His unexpected death put the kibosh on this uncompleted project. The interior has been converted into a public garden.

Historians Excavate 100-Year-Old Antarctic Scotch

2009-11-02T08:13:00.000-06:00

www.asylum.com by Ian Fortey

Since seeing March of the Penguins, we have been pretty convinced that the only things in the Antarctic are about a billion penguins and Morgan Freeman. But turns out there's another reason to head to the end of the world for a visit - you can get plastered on 100-year-old scotch.

About a century ago, Sir Ernest Shackleton left behind his stash of hooch while exploring one of the last frontiers on earth. Being a professional, he came well-equipped with dozens of cases of whisky, two of which were found in 2006 under the floorboards of an old shack, frozen in the ice.

Back then the necessities of traveling to the far reaches of the Earth had to include booze, as the alternative was huddling up next to your long-unwashed companions for warmth.

The bottles couldn't be removed when they were found, but as it happens, ice-melting technology has advanced so far in these last few years they're going to free them up once summer hits the Antarctic this year.

Sadly, the ancient hooch won't hit the auction block, with the exception of maybe one or two bottles, as it legally has to remain where it is for historical reasons. But that does lead to the possibility of an army of completely trashed penguins, which can't be a bad thing.

William Wallace was a monster, admits Gibson

2009-10-30T07:33:00.000-06:00

timesonline.co.uk - 26 Oct 2009

Wallace depicted in Braveheart was pure Hollywood, says film star

From the moment that Mel Gibson’s William Wallace — in blue and white facepaint and a tartan kilt — charged the English with the cry of “They can take our lives but they will never take our freedom”, historians have lined up to point out that, actually, Wallace was not the poor villager depicted in Braveheart, but a landowner and minor knight.

Now, 15 years on from filming, Gibson has conceded that the film played fast and loose with the historical truth — and that Wallace was “a monster” who was recast as the good guy for the sake of Hollywood convention.

Yet the star’s admission has done little to appease historians, who have claimed that Wallace’s real character probably fell somewhere inbetween.

Gibson, who also directed the 13th-century epic, spoke out in an interview to mark 15 years since its release. He said: "Wallace was a monster. He always smelt of smoke; he was always burning people’s villages down. He was like what the Vikings called ‘a berserker’.

“He wasn’t as nice as the character we saw up there on the screen. We romanticised him a bit. We shifted the balance because someone’s got to be the good guy against the bad guy; that’s the way stories are told.”

Dr Fiona Watson, a Wallace biographer and former University of Stirling academic, said that Gibson’s new position was fascinating. “After 15 years, Mel Gibson’s giving us the other version of the myth, the knuckles dragging across the floor one, which is equally untrue,” she said.

“The real man surely lies in between. After all, Wallace went to the Continent on diplomatic missions after the debacle at Falkirk (the 1298 battle), which Wallace lost. I don’t know of many berserkers who did that.”

She added: “And if we’re looking for uncivilised behaviour in that period then Wallace is not the only one indulging in it — Edward I of England was surely at least as bad, if not worse.”

Despite the film’s commercial and critical success — it won five Oscars, including those for Best Film and Best Director — Braveheart was described by some as “Jocksploitation”. Commentators said that it created a second Brigadoon: a fantasy Scotland based on lies. The areas of artistic interpretation include Wallace’s love affair with Queen Isabella. She would have been aged 2 at the time.

And the errors extend beyond the script to the wardrobe department. The kilts, which were worn by all Scots on the screen, were not invented for another three centuries. The historian Sharon L. Krossa likened it to “a film about Colonial America showing the colonial men wearing 20th-century business suits”.

Randall Wallace, the screenwriter, has defended his script against such onslaughts. He has said that it was based more on the earliest account of Wallace’s death, by the minstrel Blind Harry, than on any historical source. “Is Blind Harry true? I don’t know,” he said. “I know that it spoke to my heart and that’s what matters to me.”

Braveheart was also adopted by many Scottish Nationalists as a rallying call for independence, a move that Gibson said he had not given permission for. Leaflets distributed at cinemas when the film was released — pre-devolution — read: “Independence isn’t just history. Most European nations have it. Scotland needs it again and now almost 40 per cent of the Scottish people agree. Most of them vote SNP.”

Scottish Mythology: Redcaps

2009-10-26T08:05:00.002-06:00

Redcaps are a type of vile, malevolent, murderous goblins and are among the most terrifying creatures in Scottish mythology.

The Redcap is an evil being resembling a short, deformed, old man. It has long, unkempt grey hair, sharply clawed fingers, and wears a red skullcap and iron boots. Redcaps carry a pike that they can readily wield.

Despite their physical handicaps, outrunning these bogeymen is quite impossible. The only way to escape a redcap is to quote a biblical passage, or brandish a crucifix.

Redcaps inhabit ruined castles. They are said to murder travelers who stray into their territories and dip their caps into their victims' blood (from which they get their name). Indeed, redcaps must murder regularly, for if the blood staining their hats dries out, they perish.

2009-10-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

Orkney Venus to face the public

2009-10-18T09:39:00.002-06:00

BBS Scotland - 16 Oct 09

The earliest human figure to be found in Scotland is to go on temporary display at Edinburgh Castle.

The Orkney Venus, which was discovered a few weeks ago, is a 5,000-year-old female carving which has the UK's first known depiction of a person's face.

It will be exhibited for a fortnight from Monday.

Historic Scotland said children would be given free entry to the castle during the exhibition, which ends on Sunday 1 November.

Culture Minister Mike Russell, said: "It's great that people will have the chance to see this remarkable historical find for themselves, and I'm particularly delighted to be able to announce that children will be able to get into Edinburgh Castle free while the exhibition is on.

"We hope the tour will highlight Orkney as a visitor destination, and its wonderful archaeology, to Scots and visitors from overseas and encourage them to visit the islands and see their many attractions for themselves."

The carving was brought to Edinburgh for vital conservation work to protect it for the future, and so experts could carry out preliminary examinations.

The object, found this summer during the Historic Scotland excavation at the Links of Noltland, on the Orkney island of Westray, will then tour other venues.

The final stage will see its return to Orkney where it will go on temporary show at the Westray Heritage Centre.

The 4cm tall carving, known by locals as the Westray Wife, will be on show in the ante-room of Edinburgh Castle's Laich Hall along with colourful panels giving information about how and when it was found.

Loch Ness Putter

2009-10-14T07:42:00.001-06:00

from The Scottish Sun

by Siobhan McFadyen

SCIENTISTS hunting for Nessie were left par-plexed — when they found the bottom of Loch Ness covered in GOLF BALLS.

The US research team had set out to discover evidence of the monster.

But their hi-tech gear instead revealed thousands of the plastic-coated balls. It’s thought locals and holiday-makers have been using the tourist hotspot as a driving range for many years.

But experts say the balls pose a risk to the unique species found in the 800ft-deep water.

Mike O’Brien, of Louisiana-based Sea Trepid, sent remote cameras to the bottom of Loch Ness — declared a site of “international conservation importance” — for TV show Monster Quest.

He said: “There’s lots of debris down there but the thing we found most interesting is that there’s literally a coating of golf balls.

“We sent our camera down to find signs of the monster but we had inconclusive evidence.

“We’re not sure if Nessie is alive, but there’s certainly a lot of plastic, it’s a shame really.”

Green Party MSP Patrick Harvie added: “Anyone looking to fire a few balls into Loch Ness or elsewhere should get a stock of biodegradable ones instead.”

Royal National Mod gets under way

2009-10-10T10:29:00.001-06:00

BBC Scotland - 9 Oct 2009

The Royal National Mod - the annual festival of Scottish Gaelic culture - has got under way in Oban.

Thousands of people from around the world are expected in the Argyll town to watch 170 competitions in areas such as music, singing, poetry, and drama.

The huge field of competitors will include up to 2,000 young people under the age of 16.

The festival finale on 17 October will see more than 800 choir members perform on the Oban waterfront.

As the Mod started, the Scottish government announced a £50,000 funding package to "create a new generation of Gaelic speakers".

An award of £35,000 has been made for the Mod to appoint a development officer to take forward plans for next year's festival in Caithness and to support Gaelic learning in the area.

Gaelic ambassador

Argyll and Bute Council has also been given £15,000 to increase the number of Gaelic courses in its area.

Speaking in Oban, Gaelic Minister Mike Russell also announced that Anne Lorne Gillies would be this year's Scottish government Gaelic Ambassador of the Year.

"A long time Gaelic activist, Anne's contribution to Gaelic language and culture is immense," he said.

"Her more recent work on the songs and music of St. Kilda has kept her at the forefront of current Gaelic activity and language promotion, and makes her a truly worthy recipient."

Scottish Geography

2009-10-08T15:57:00.001-06:00

Scotland's mainland is 275 miles (440km) from north (Cape Wrath) to south (Mull of Galloway) and 154 miles (248km) at its widest point (Buchan Ness to Applecross).

But the furthest you can get away from the sea is 40-50 miles.

Its land area is just over 30,000 square miles.

At its narrowest, Scotland is only 25 miles wide (from the estuaries of the rivers Clyde and Forth).

The most northerly point on the mainland is Dunnet Head in Caithness.

Scotland makes up over 30% of the area of the United Kingdom (with less than 10% of the UK population).

The coastline of mainland Scotland is 6,200 miles long.

The Shetland Islands are nearer to Oslo, capital of Norway, than London, capital of the United Kingdom.

There are 790 islands off the coast of Scotland of which 130 are inhabited.

The highest mountain in the UK is Ben Nevis (4,418 feet).

Scotland's longest river is the Tay (120 miles).

2009-10-06T20:42:00.001-06:00

Scottish Vacation Photo

2009-10-04T10:05:00.003-06:00

This site, called the Punch Bowl, is in the Braemar region situated in the Cairngorms. The name is derived for the the large hole scoured into the stone by water & time. The actual hole can be seen in the center of the photograph.

This site is notable because of a meeting of clan chiefs prior to the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion. The Earl of Mar hosted a number of potential supporters, including clan chiefs, hopefully for enlisting their support. It was under the guise as a hunt staged for the attending nobles to avoid detection.

The "punch bowl", also known as the "devil's punch bowl or Mar's punch bowl" was filled with brandy with which they toasted their hopeful success.

2009-10-02T07:38:00.000-06:00

Scottish Towns' Nicknames

2009-09-28T12:28:00.004-06:00

Here's a list of the nicknames applied to a number Scottish cities & towns. Often the residents rather than the town itself bear the nickname.

Aberdeen - Granite City due to the number of buildings built from local granite.
Anstruther in Fife is called Ainster by locals - though that is probably due to their pronunciation.
Arbroath - Residents of Arbroath are called Arbroathians, or Reid Lichties due to the prominent red harbor light of the town.
Auchterarder - Lang Toon due to its 1.5 mile long High Street.
Ayr - Robert Burns description of Ayr as Auld Ayr, wham ne'er a town surpasses, for honest men and bonnie lasses has stuck.
Bishopbriggs - The large number of children born in this suburban town adjacent to Glasgow resulted in it being referred to as Baby Briggs.
Broughty Ferry - is nicknamed simply The Ferry.
Carnoustie - Atrocious weather conditions during the 1997 Open Golf Championship resulted in the golf course being called by disgruntled, over-par golfers as Car-nasty.
Clydebank - Residents and the local football team are known as The Bankies.
Comrie - Shaky Toun, a nickname due to being on the Highland Fault line and subject to above average number of earth tremors.
Darvel - The Lang Toon, one of a number due to the lengthy layout of the town.
Dufftown - Whisky Capital of the World, appropriate for this town in the middle of Speyside.
Dumfries - The people from this town at the southern end of Scotland are known as "Doonhamers" (down home).
East Kilbride - Polo Mint City, a nickname prompted by over 85 roundabouts in the road system. "Polo Mints" are peppermint candies with a hole in their middle.
Edinburgh - Scotland's Capital is known as "Auld Reekie" ("Old Smoky") from the days when it was black with the smoke from coal and wood fires.
Fraserburgh - The Broch. A broch in Scots is both a prehistoric circular tower from Pictish times and a halo round the sun or moon.
Glasgow - Dear Green Place, a name that was applied long before the grime and squalor of industrialization, as it comes from the Brittonic "glas cau" or "green hollow". On the other hand, Glasgow has a reputation for the large number of parks created by those same Victorian industrialists.
Hawick - The people call themselves "Terries" from Teribus ye teri odin, the war cry of the men of Hawick at the Battle of Flodden.
Inverness - Capital of the Highlands, a nickname that was used even before it became an authorized "city".
Kilmarnock - Shortened to Killie.
Kilwinning - Nicknamed The Crossroads of Ayrshire.
Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway may only have a population of around 2,500, but it is still known as the Muckle Toon (large town).
Linlithgow - Those born there were sometimes nicknamed Black Bitches - from the town's coat of arms.
Macmerry - a small village east of Edinburgh, used to produce iron ore hence the nickname "The Blast".
Monifeith - Sunny Monifeith, though why this Angus burgh should be any sunnier than any other is not clear!
Motherwell - Steelopolis from the days (now gone) when it was the steel production capital of Scotland.
Paisley - The residents are known as Buddies.
Peebles - Those who were born there are known as Gutterbluids (old Scots word for a low born person) but those who live there but were not born there are known as Stooriefoots.
Perth - The Fair City, derived from Sir Walter Scot's novel "The Fair Maid of Perth". At that time, due to definition of a "city" at that time, Scott was correct to refer to the location as the "Fair City of Perth". In recent times, a new definition of "city" in the UK meant it lost that status.
Peterhead - known as The Blue Toon, derived from the distinctive blue clothing worn by the fisher folk in days gone by. Apart from being Peterheidians and Blue Tooners, people of Peterhead were called Blue Mogganers - said to be from the local Doric for the coarse blue stockings over their sea boots.
Selkirk - The people of the Border town are called Soutars due to the many shoe cobblers there in the past.
Tranent, East Lothian, where the residents at one time are said to have believed that they would win any altercation with the surrounding villages, so they were self-proclaimed as The Belters - in other words they could "belt the living daylight out of their adversaries".

2009-09-26T20:59:00.002-06:00

Historic killer's face seen in 3D

2009-09-04T08:19:00.000-06:00

BBC Scotland - 4 September 2009

An artist in Dundee has created a 3D image of one of Scotland's most notorious killers.

Bijan Moghbel's project saw him produce a computerised depiction of the face of William Burke, the 19th Century killer and partner of William Hare.

The pair are thought to have killed more than a dozen people before selling their bodies on for medical research.

The face was created using Burke's death mask. He was hanged in 1829 after Hare testified against him in court.

Mr Moghbel, 26, a graduate of the MSc Forensic Art course at Jordanstone College of Art and Design, said he was fascinated by the process of facial construction.

'Extensive research'

He said: "I was really interested in the whole history behind Burke, and the relationship between his crimes and anatomy, in that he sold the corpses for medical dissection.

"The depiction was completed using Burke's life and death masks as reference, and I conducted extensive research on early 19th Century costumes and men's hairstyles to improve the accuracy of the depiction."

The image will form part of a public exhibition of students' work to be held at three venues across Dundee, including the Centrespace at the Visual Research Centre, Dundee Contemporary Arts, and Generator Projects, Mid Wynd Dundee from 12 September.

Following the show, the exhibition will be permanently housed at the University of Edinburgh's Anatomy Museum

Scottish Prayer

2009-09-02T07:39:00.000-06:00

"Oh Lord, we do not ask you to give us wealth.

But we implore you to please show us where it is."

2009-08-30T06:57:00.000-06:00

Fort Campbell Funeral Detail

2009-08-28T13:03:00.002-06:00

Two days ago, I piped at a memorial service at Ft Campbell, Ky. Four special operation soldiers had been killed in a training mission in Colorado when their Blackhawk helicopter crashed. Two of the dead were Chief Warrant Officers that had just put in the paper work for retirements They were with the 160th Special Operations Air Regiment (SOAR) – “Night Stalkers”.

Approximately 700 family member and military personnel attended the memorial service. The Army flew in family members, provided hotel rooms, fed them, and assigned escort/drivers. It was impressive to what lengths they went for the families.

I was in the assembly area when the family members were brought in to see the memorial display of inverted rifles, boots, helmets, dog tags, and portraits.

The first wife almost collapsed and several following wives and family members almost did the same. Cries of genuine pain and anguish were loud and heartfelt. The soldier-escorts remained calm & resolute, but it must’ve been terribly difficult. No one to hear grief-stricken women sobbing in pain.

The sergeants I was with were noticeably affected as well. I bit my lip and tried to place my mind elsewhere. They probably did something similar.

For me, the most difficult was the Final Roll Call. That’s not heard at the graveside military services I ordinarily pipe at. A burly Sergeant Major called the roll of the deceased unit. Attending soldiers stood and answered, "Here Sergeant Major". When he reached the names of the four killed, the Sergeant Major called theirs names twice and continued. Very poignant & symbolic. Much of the immediate family was again in tears and sobbing. Thank heavens I’d already performed my part.

I left this gig soon afterwards and must comment how impressed I was with these extraordinary men. They were young, lean, capable, intelligent, and had nothing to prove to anyone. There was no braggadocio, no upmanship to be seen or heard. There was a quiet, natural dignity about them. They were quintessential American warriors.

2009-08-24T07:34:00.000-06:00

Curse of Scotland

2009-08-20T15:45:00.001-06:00

The nine of diamonds playing card is often referred to as the Curse of Scotland. There are several reasons given for this:

1. It was the playing card used by Sir John Dalrymple, the Earl of Stair, to cryptically authorize the Glencoe Massacre in 1692. There is a resemblance between the nine of diamonds and his coat of arms.

2. The Duke of Cumberland is supposedly scribbled the order for "No quarter" to be given after the Battle of Culloden on a nine of diamonds playing card..

3. It has been implied that it is a misreading of the "Corse of Scotland", i.e. the "Cross of Scotland" or St Andrew's Saltire. There is a resemblance between the pattern of the nine of diamonds and the Saltire.

4. Nine diamonds were at one time stolen from the crown of Scotland and a tax was levied on the Scots to pay for them. The tax received the moniker "The Curse of Scotland".

Heart of Bruce

2009-08-18T07:46:00.002-06:00

Before he died in 1329, Robert the Bruce asked that his heart be carried into battle because he himself had not been able to go on a Crusade. The removal of internal organs post mortem was a common practice in medieval times.

Bruce's body was interred in Dunfermline Abbey and when it was exhumed in 1818 it was found that some ribs had been sawn through, indicating that his heart had been removed from his body.

Sir James Douglas is reported to have taken Bruce's heart in a container with him to Spain in 1330. But, in a battle against the Moors, Douglas was killed. Sir William Keith brought Bruce's heart back to Scotland and it was buried in Melrose Abbey.

In 1921, during excavations beneath the Chapter House at Melrose Abbey, a conical leaden container was discovered. It measured 10" high and 4" in diameter at the base but tapering towards the top. It was pitted, but otherwise in good condition.

The container was reburied, but in 1996, it was removed again and examined once more with modern techniques. Historic Scotland said "It is not possible to prove absolutely that it is Bruce's heart. But it is reasonable to assume that it is".

On 22 June 1998 it was reburied at Melrose Abbey. On 24 June (anniversary of Bruce's victory at Bannockburn in 1314) the Scottish Secretary of State unveiled a plaque on the ground at the place where the heart now lies (see photo).

The design for the stone slab was created by Victoria Oswald, a BBC sound engineer. The inscription on the stone, from Barbour's The Brus reads "A noble hart may have no ease, gif freedom failye"

Translated, this reads "A noble heart cannot be at peace if freedom is lacking".

The slab incorporates a carving of a heart entwined within the Saltire.