Scotland gains seal killing legislation

While the mainstream media concentrates on handing out beatings to our various Governments over headline articles (stuff like recession and inflation), it’s nice to get a reminder that some departments are still ‘getting on with the knitting’, and raising legislation on matters that still… er… matter.

While I am not a ‘seal campaigner’ or suchlike, and wonder if there would be so many people up in arms about the seal killings if they look more like man-eating alien spiders, I still take on board the apparent cruelty and barbarism that seems to abound in those that have previously believed they has some sort of right to go around killing seals for a variety of reason.

Scotland now has legislation in place as part of the Marine (Scotland) Act, which will issue licences which specify the maximum numbers of grey or common seal which each licensee may shoot. Offender face a penalty of up to six months in jail or a heavy fine. 66 licence applications are reported to be under consideration.

Conservation areas in Moray Firth, Shetland, Orkney, Firth of Tay and the Western Isles are designed to protect local populations of common seals.

Previously, cases could be brought to court and offenders charged with cruelty to animals, as in the case of a fisherman who clubbed 21 grey seal pups to death on the remote Shetland island of East Linga, and was jailed for 80 days for ‘mutilating, beating and crushing’ the animals.

January ends on a low

The month seems to be ending on something of a low point, as I had been intending to go find some interesting things to make the occasion entry about, but find that my camera arsenal is possibly unwilling to co-operate.

Without going into the specific models (I’m slightly fed up with the make/model/type war that some folk like to indulge in), I picked up two successive models of a bridge camera a few years back (similar to the illustration on the right, one silver, one black). Unfortunately, the lesser of the two collapsed in price, and I snapped it up – only to find the much improved later model followed its price fall only a few weeks later. Still, at the time, the two still cost less than one would have cost a few weeks earlier, and that was still way below the cost of a dSLR at the time.

However, although the first worked fine, the second ended up making three trips back to the factory for a weird fault – when pointed at certain scenes, it simply locked up and froze. To be fair, this was eventually cleared up, and never returned, but my problems were not over. A year or so later, although the power switch is well protected, the camera powered up in my pocket, and extension of the x12 zoom lens was blocked. It wouldn’t reset, and would no longer focus. I was surprised, as I had expected it merely to re-register the lens position when powered up, but it didn’t. I had resigned myself to sending it off for repair, but since this would have been at cost, I decided to have a look at myself.

This is not a job for anyone not qualified, and I wouldn’t recommend anyone to try it if they are not in this sort of business.

Without a manual, I just had to guess, and found a number of hidden fixings, missing any of which would have broken the camera. As it was, I abandoned the process halfway through, as the method of accessing the mechanics around the lens – where I assumed the problem lay – was unclear, and without a manual, I found that the flexible electronics wrapped around the lens could not be released. At the time, I didn’t have the hours available to dismantle it further (in a way that would mean I could reassemble it! ), so decided merely to make sure it was all clean, nothing was binding mechanically, and that there were no loose or broken bits floating around.

Although I hadn’t done anything positive, when I powered it up, it did recycle and reset.

It’s been largely trouble-free since then – until I had to shoot some high pressure water pumps at the start of the  month. Although I didn’t actually drop the camera, some of the shots I wanted were awkward, and it was cold, and I was outdoors. I didn’t realise I couldn’t feel my fingers, and while trying to get under the pump, the camera slipped out of my fingers and onto the ground. The distance was only 1-2 centimetres, but when I powered up, found that my problem was back, and the camera wouldn’t focus.

It did reset on next power up, but ever since then, during the month, has steadily suffered from a failure to focus when powered up first time – and can need repeated starts to get it working.

Guess I will have to dismantle it again, but a bit further this time – however that will have to wait until it gets warmer, and I can feel my fingers again.

I reverted to its almost unused predecessor, placed on the shelf as a spare, but it has a number of disadvantages. It’s silver rather than black, so not as discreet. Its zoom is x10 rather than x12, and although this means little in reality, it can make a difference once you are used to the latter. Its biggest sin is its lack of anti-shake – although I didn’t notice this when I compared the two initially, now that I am used to it, can easily spot the problems this omission brings. Lastly, it handles like a tank, as the later model was greatly refined by comparison, and much better designed despite looking almost the same. As a ‘second lastly’, although the sensor is supposed to be similar, I now see the older model does not render bright areas well, although this could probably be improved by fiddling the basic exposure settings.

I do have a dSLR, which solves the image quality problem, but even though it is one of the smallest on the market, it is still about twice the size of a bridge camera – despite the similar profile – and cannot be slipped into the pocket every time I walk out the door. I’ve hardly used it since I bought it for this reason.

Roll on the warmer weather – and a desk covered with bits of digital bridge camera, which will hopefully all fit back into the box afterwards.

An everyday mistake

Because I find myself writing both for work and for play, I’ve become more aware of common mistakes and failings that appear in productions that should have been created with more care than they have been. Whether it’s down to carelessness, ignorance, or laziness – as more people assume that their ‘smart’ software will take care of any errors – is unclear, but it seems that the incidence of uncorrected mistakes is growing, and going unnoticed.

Just start paying attention to how the poor old apostrophe is abused, and you’ll see so many mistakes you’ll soon begin to doubt your own knowledge, and have to reach for a rule book.

In this case, the problem has been preceded by the confusion which ‘every day‘ and ‘everyday‘ seem to cause.

While this pair should be easy to manage, the joining of the two words is becoming increasingly evident, especially in shops, where we are often promised ‘New savings everyday‘ – with a message which is usually printed on a tacky plastic banner.

They mean ‘New savings every day‘, but their sign is actually nonsense, and states ‘New saving ordinary‘, because the word everyday is a descriptive word which usually precedes something which is ordinary or commonplace.

While there is a case for the confusion of every day and everyday, it’s harder to excuse the appearance of everynight.

(This word does exist, but as the name of a play which became a film.)

Everynight has become an abomination I/we have to look at every day, and every night, since some idiot in the graphic department of Quest (the free-to-view documentary TV channel from Discovery) decided to run the two words together when they produced the graphic shown when the announcer does a voiceover for the night’s forthcoming offerings.

I had been hoping someone would notice the mistake, and correct it, but it looks as if there’s no-one looking in that cares, or maybe they just can’t afford to correct it.

Former Cold War Regional Government Headquarters in Crieff goes up for sale

The former purpose-built RGH (Regional Government Headquarters) was located in the grounds of a former Army camp at Cultybraggan, north of Stirling. The Army camp had been created from one of the most notorious PoW camps of World War II, which had housed so-called ‘Black’ or Category A Nazi prisoners, the most fanatical. At the end of the war, five of the inmates were hanged for the lynching of another, thought to have been a spy, or just not sufficiently zealous towards their cause.

After the war ended, the Army used the camp, and much of the surrounding area, for training purposes, with the Nissen huts serving as accommodation.

You can read more about Cultybraggan and its features, including an exploration of the bunker carried out back in 2000 (sadly, not by us), here: Secret Scotland – Cultybraggan

In 2007, a trust formed by members of the local community – the Comrie Development Trust – bought the entire camp from the MoD, including the RGHQ. Since then, it has been working to persuade business to come and open up in the area, as described in a recent business article, Companies urged to set up at former prisoner of war camp – Herald Scotland.

In October 2010, the trust launched a two-week long ‘investment fortnight’ in order to raise awareness of the site, and attract business to set up within the former PoW camp. At that time, the bunker was not part of the offer, but it was noted that Scottish Enterprise was supporting a feasibility study into converting the former nuclear bunker at the site into a data storage facility.

Companies urged to set up at former prisoner of war camp – Herald Scotland | Business | Corporate & SME

It’s worth noting that the bunker at Cultybraggan is not one of the massive underground facilities seen at some locations (such as Scotland’s Secret Bunker), buried deep and protected by reinforced concrete, plus numerous other less obvious layers to decouple it from surrounding explosions (though still not much help against a direct nuclear strike), but is of another standard construction, having two storeys, and only partially buried.

Cultybraggan RGH entrance in 2009 © Bill Clark

Three months later, the bunker was placed on the market, with a suggested price of something in the order of £400,000. I guess that will either rocket upwards ff some data storage or ISP companies set their sights on the facility, or will lose a zero, and become a store, if no-one is interested. I found four tales related to the sale within the first few days, so am listing them in case any or all evaporate over time (well, I suspect the BBC’s will stay around):

BBC News – Crieff nuclear bunker goes up for sale

Luxury properties for sale: Scottish Cold War nuclear bunker – Country Life

Bomb-proof nuclear bunker goes up for sale in Scotland | Geek.com

`End-of-World’ Threat Stirs Interest in Scottish Nuclear Bunker – Bloomberg

Historic first as Twitter enters Scottish courts

Taking such things as mobile phones, laptops, netbooks, tablets, pad, or the like would normally be greeted with a warning, and a finger pointing towards the cells if done in a Scottish court.

However, on January 26, 2011, in an intriguing experiment, this was just what happened in courtroom number four within Glasgow’s High Court.

Apparently the most mentioned message to leave the courtroom was a description of a criminal arriving at court, and throwing his car keys in the judge’s ashtray – surely not an attempted bribe?

The exercise appears to have gone without incident, and it looks as if it will be repeated, it would seem that tweeting from court is likely to be limited to the simpler activities such as bail hearings and sentencing, while complex cases and the like will continue to be reported using more traditional methods.

This will probably come as some relief to those who carry out that traditional function using their shorthand skills, who were reported to be a ‘little unsettled’ by the days’ events.

Kelvingrove art returned after 15 years

I was intrigued to see a news story about the return of three paintings which had been stolen from Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

It used to be one of my great retreats in the past, somewhere to go and enjoy some peace and quiet (unless I made the mistake of dropping in when there was a class of primary school kids, or a toddler, there for a treat – bless their little banging and stamping feet), although I’ve only been there twice since the refurbishment, and don’t really feel like making the effort to go for another visit. Not for some peace and quiet anyway.

The recovery was triggered by the appearance of one of the stolen paintings appearing in an auction, and being recognised by the curator. This, in turn, led to another of the stolen works, and then a third from yet another location.

While the story has a happy ending – although it seems that some of those in the chain of supply which included these pictures may not be too happy from the resulting legal actions – I was disappointed to read that the case seems to have begun back in 1996, and not because of the discovery of an obvious and outright theft, such as from a burglary or similar action, but through the action of auditors, who alleged in a report they prepared regarding Glasgow Museums collection that a number of works of art had been removed and offered for sale on the black market. This, it seems, arose because the arrangements then in place for the recording and storage of artefacts was unsatisfactory.

From this, it seems safe to assume that the three pictures referred to in this case are only a sample of the works that have been lost in this way. Other assumptions, or implications can be drawn from the comments too.

It’s a very unfortunate an uncomfortable finding, and I wonder just how many artefacts have gone walkabout in the same way. And if the inventory system has been upgraded in light of the audit?

Heating oil crisis?

It looks as if heating oil became a source of panic and crisis over the recent cold spell, and it looks as if there were two causes. What seems to be less clear is whether or not there had to be.

We used to have oil-fired central heating, then the price of oil went up… and it had to go. In its heyday, we consumed the contents of a 600 gallon tank (600 UK gallons = 2,728 litres) such that we had to have it filled twice a year, sometimes maybe three times. That doesn’t mean we emptied it every time, rather we never allowed it to reach a level such that we were not ready for winter, and some crisis in supply.

I think it’s maybe called something like ‘Planning ahead’, or ‘Accepting responsibility for yourself’, or maybe even both.

Regardless, we understood we were not on any sort of fixed supply line like gas or electricity that was not down to us to maintain, and recognised that we were responsible for having heating oil in place, with a contingency in reserve. If we froze, then there was only one party responsible, and all we had to do was look in the mirror to find out who.

That’s why I have little or no sympathy for those referred to in this report about heating oil. To use one of the words of the complainants, the only ‘outrageous’ thing I can see it that they seem to expect sympathy for either for failing to plan for their own security, or have tried to play at price brinkmanship with the suppliers, and got caught out.

In any event, had they not all waited until the last minute, there would have been no ‘shortage’, or need for the Scottish Government to describe deliveries totalling 1.8 million litres that arrived by ship to Inverness and Aberdeen on December 20 as ‘vital’.

I guarantee they won’t learn, and there will be a new batch of non-planners and price-gamblers ready to provide another ‘oil crisis’ headline next year.

However…

More serious in deserving of sympathy are those who find themselves affected by theft. They didn’t have a choice – and since they must have had enough oil in their tanks to make it worth stealing, are also the ones who acted responsibly and were ready for the cold.

Thefts of heating oil from properties in parts of the Highlands rose during the prolonged period of bad weather last year, police have said.

In a report, Northern Constabulary said domestic oil tanks may also have been targeted because of the current financial climate.

Thefts were reported in Ross and Cromarty and Lochaber.

They have done nothing wrong, but find themselves without oil and heating when they need it most, thanks to the attention of the lowest rubbish that we have to share space with, and are happy to indulge in potentially life-threatening crimes simply for their own personal gain. I doubt any of the thefts were for personal use.

Thinking back, our tank would probably have been relatively safe from such an attack. Being large, it was made from substantial steel plate, and was plumbed in to a remote filling point (so could not be back-syphoned. Even full, it made a noise like thunder of bumped. I can think of a couple of way it could have been stolen from, but these could also have been secured fairly simply.

Modern tanks seem to particularly vulnerable. They are smaller and lighter, and seem to have more vulnerable fittings. There also seems to be a tendency to fit them closer to the road for easy access, to make things easier for the delivery driver. Unfortunately, that makes it easier for anyone to get to.

We didn’t realise how glad we were to see our oil-fired system go when we could replace it with gas. For one thing, it was more reliable, cleaner, and didn’t smell, and it was only after a year or two we came to realise that the old system has been the source of an extremely fine black soot that was barely noticeable, but had been coating everything for years.

< a title=”BBC News – Heating oil prices: Your stories” href=”http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12014562” target=”_blank”>BBC News – Heating oil prices: Your stories</a>

Whither tourism in Scotland?

Scottish tourism

There have been quite a few stories regarding tourism in Scotland, and my eye is inevitably drawn to them after the Scottish Government decreed that there should be a 50% increase in tourism in Scotland by 2015. I’m not entirely sure by what metric this is to be measured and deemed a success or failure, so am trying not to forget about this ‘order’ before 2015 arrives, and see if anyone else remembers it, and reports the final outcome.

Trauma

I found it slightly amusing to note that the head of VisitScotland had described 2010 as a traumatic year for Scottish tourism. I think the list of causes he cited will have affected rather more countries than just Scotland, and are virtually worldwide in some cases. These included severe weather, volcanic ash, the recession, and strikes (within the aviation industry).

I think he should have said these were probably good for us at the moment, as their global effects might combine to mean that others didn’t gain advantage as a result. He put numbers to the story too, saying that: ‘The UK market was up about 6% through 2010 and the Scottish market up 16%.’ I would have thought that numbers like that meant the last  year was anything but ‘traumatic’.

American favour

Despite these problems, Scotland is still managing to do something right, and Britain’s largest national park – the Cairngorms National Park – and the Highlands were included in a list of the National Geographic Traveler’s 20 Best Trips. The US magazine included them along with Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, and Alaska’s Kodiak Island.

Senior editor Norie Quintos said the ‘primeval landscape of the north and west’ drew visitors to the Cairngorms, and that the ‘primeval landscape north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault attracts outdoor enthusiasts drawn to the mist-shrouded mountains, shimmering lochs, sheer cliffs, and sandy beaches’, after she attended the Adventure Travel World Summit held in Aviemore last October.

Cruise ships

One of the more interesting developments which has become apparent over the past few years is a rise in the number of cruise ships which appear off the west coast. This has been noticeable in the Clyde, as a look in the photo albums shows the arrival of some huge ships that have not been seen there before, and it seems that they are also stopping at our Highland ports to drop of visiting passengers. Fort William was reported to have seen its first cruise ship visit during 2010.

The ‘best job in the world’

And finally, in what it has been described as the ‘best job in the world’, a Scottish travel firm is looking for up to 40 new ‘personalities’ to lead tours around Scotland. Currently 12 positions are available for guides, with plans for 40 new staff over the next three years. Rabbie’s Trail Burners is probably one of those Scottish success stories we should really hear more about. Robin Worsnop set up the business in 1993, using a loan of £6,000 from his brother to buy a mini-coach after graduating with an MA in history from the University of Edinburgh. In 2009 the firm had a turnover of £2.5 million.

US maintains its 40 year ban on haggis

I note that we are approaching Burns Night (January 25) and are one year past my last posting about the US ban on imported Scottish haggis, and suggestion of: US ready to relax ban on haggis imports.

Unfortunately, such suggestions in the media were premature, and were quickly followed by: US not ready to lift ban on Scottish haggis.

This year, it is reported that Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead has invited a US delegation to Scotland – perhaps to try and educate them in the way of the haggis, and maybe even to have them try a sample. It would appear that the American culture is somewhat anti-offal, and the inclusion of some 10-15% of lamb’s lung (plus heart and liver) within the ingredients is not only problem (this use of offal offend a US ban on UK products which include it), and the non-Scottish-American is not even prepared to entertain a taste of the haggis in order to sample it.

My haggis of choice still remains with Grant’s tinned variety, which is not such a travesty as some might assume, since the majority of ‘natural’ haggis is inside a plastic bag, not a traditional sheep’s stomach (and boiled plastic probably leeches more strange chemicals than a tin can). It’s more convenient, and can be kept ready for use at any time, as it last for years.

I had wondered if it might also have a production capable recipe that might beat the US ban, but no luck, as the ingredients list still offends:

• Lamb Lung 45%
• Oatmeal 19%
• Lamb Suet
• Scottish Water
• Onion
• Salt
• Spices

Interestingly – no additives or e-numbers. But, the makers do suggest adding a wee dram just before serving, and I tried this recently, and it works too. I’m not usually impressed by the addition of alcoholic brews to food – just put it in a glass, where it belongs – but haggis and whisky seems to be an exception.

Perhaps the Rural Affairs Secretary should arrange a Haggis Hunt for his visitors from the US – after all, if their films are anything to go by, Americans seem to love running around shooting things in forests:

 

Haggis on display at Glasgow Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Other references

Macsween – Guardians of Scotland’s national dish

The haggis website

Grants Tinned Haggis

Cash windfall for Dundee ATM users

It’s not often that a story relating to cash dispensers, or ATMs (automatic teller machine), has a happy outcome if there is some sort of fault or error in their operation, but it looks as if some lucky folk in Dundee have ended up ahead after such an occurrence.

Police were called to attend an apparent disturbance reported at a cash machine sited near the Scotmid store in Fintry Road, Dundee, where it transpired that the ATM had been dispensing twice the actual amount requested. The machine had no connection with the store, and was taken out of service shortly afterwards, while the police reported that there had been no incident as such at the scene.

The operator said the payouts had occurred as a result of incorrect packing of the cassettes used to house the cash within the dispenser, describing it as a rare occurrence, and able to be dealt with quickly.

The good news for anyone that happened to use the dispenser while it was handing out doubles was that they were not going to be pursued for return of the cash. Although the amount concerned is probably small, as a witness mentioned a crows of only 60 or so at the machine, a help line number was issued, and the operator said it was up to people’s individual conscience regarding what they did with the additional money they had received in error.

Seems no-one has called the number… yet.

Ironically, Dundee was once one home to NCR’s ATM manufacturing facility at their defunct Gourdie plant, closed in 2009 prior to demolition. Some 60 years in operation, the factory was cleared to make way for a supermarket.

I had reason to visit the factory a few times, for work reasons, and despite that long period on service, as I recall, it looked quite modern inside, and that ATMs seemed to look a lot bigger when you saw them standing in isolation, rather than built into a wall.

Update

There was a later report of a similar problem, at te start of March 2011, when some Australian cash machines were found to be handing out greater amounts of cash than requested: BBC News – What should you do if a cash machine overpays?

I happened to have been reading the detail of the Theft Act 1968 recently, in relation to another subject, and the situation is relatively clear cut, provided the precise circumstances of the event can be established.

However, one aspect did surprise – and disappoint – me, and this was the response of someone who clearly does not have the wherewithal to justify the job he has managed to con his way into, namely Tim Chappell, Director, Open University Ethics Centre.

I’ve watched and enjoyed the Open University since it first appeared, and think it does a fine job, but have to say that if it’s board thinks Tim Chappell is a person to fit to hold the position of Dirtector of it Scool of Ethics, then someone need a wake-up call.

He clearly has no grasp of the concepts he is supposedly charged with teaching, as his take on the cash machine overpayment issue – which may have been fine for banter in the pub, but not for publication in the name of the Open University – was:

What do banks do with the money they make out of their ‘account charges’ and ‘service charges’? Well, for one thing, these charges pay for systems that protect the banks from risks like cash-machine malfunction. If those systems let the banks down, I say ‘tough on the banks – it’s a windfall for the customers’.

Just as when the bankers pay themselves huge bonuses out of the charges they exact on our accounts, the banks say ‘tough on the customers – it’s a windfall for us.’ The bankers get plenty of free lunches. Why shouldn’t their customers too?

 

He should be handed the proverbial ceremonial sword and be asked to fall on it, and go.