Dumfries and Galloway

Scottish News: US senator demands that Lockerbie bomber be returned to Scottish jail

The Daily Record (Free subscription) | yesterday

A US senator today demanded the return of the Lockerbie bomber to prison in Scotland.

Scotland keen to KO Rocky threat

Planet Rugby (Free subscription) | yesterday

Scotland hooker Ross Ford fears Australia flanker Rocky Elsom will inflict yet another dose of misery at Murrayfield when the Wallaby captain takes the field on Saturday.

19th - 20th November - Serious Floods in Britain and Ireland

Weather & Earth Science News (Free subscription) | yesterday

The flooding in Cumbria has been even worse than I anticipated, with unconfirmed reports of around 340mm of rain falling at one location with a 48 hour period - if correct this will be the highest recorded 48 hour rainfall event in the UK, easily beating the 306mm that fell at Kinlochhourn in the West Highlands on the 5th/6th February 1989. It's also possible the UK's 24 hour rainfall record may have...

Kirk votes against trainee gay clergy

Anglican Mainstream (Free subscription) | yesterday

`The Christian Institute’ Allowing a homosexual man to begin training for ministry in the Church of Scotland broke a two-year agreement to suspend appointing openly gay clergy, the Kirk has decided. A church court voted 43 to 38 that Hamilton Presbytery, one of the largest in Scotland, broke the agreement by appointing Dimitri Ross to training. The agreement [...]

Sen Schumer wants Lockerbie bomber back in Scottish prison

The Lockerbie Case (Free subscription) | yesterday

Sen Charles Schumer said Thursday that the Pan Am Flight 103 bomber should be transferred back to a Scottish prison. Schumer (D-NY) said the terminally ill Libyan bomber released last summer has lived longer than the three months upon which his release was contingent. (...) “The bottom line is Megrahi should have never been released in the first place, but it would be even more outrageous if...

Theatre Review: The Laramie Project @ The Space E14

Londonist (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009

Funny how words take on new meanings. ‘Lockerbie’ used to be a tiny hamlet in the West of Scotland before a PanAm plane came down in its fields, ‘Columbine’ was once an average high school … and ‘Laramie’ was an enormously popular 100-episode TV western in the black-and-white era. Nowadays Laramie is irrevocably connected with the brutal torture and murder...

Adam Smith on "Ruin of a Nation"

Adam Smith's Lost Legacy (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009

Ben Stein writes on “Four lessons from the recession” in (19 November) in Fortune HERE which includes this observation: “ And another little note ... my much-missed father used to tell me with great approval Adam Smith's famous quote regarding prophecies of doom for America, "there is a lot of ruin in a nation ." Comment Another example of a famous quotation from Adam Smith...

The Weather

Penyffordd and District (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009

We were supposed to have another shed full of rain this afternoon, this stayed in Ireland and Scotland. More rain is forecast. The River Dee at Bangor on Dee has burst its banks as it does normally with this type of weather. In somewhere near 1962 the River Dee flowed back up the ditches and Sandycroft ended up with water in the streets. It was wellingtons out to walk the streets. It will be the end...

Kirk votes against trainee gay clergy

The Christian Institute (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009

Allowing a homosexual man to begin training for ministry in the Church of Scotland broke a two-year agreement to suspend appointing openly gay clergy, the Kirk has decided. A church court voted 43 to 38 that Hamilton Presbytery, one of the largest in Scotland, broke the agreement by appointing Dimitri Ross to training. The agreement was [...]

• Win for Kirk’s hardliners as gay ordination row continues - Anglican Mainstream

John Lamont is the most expensive MSP and the Conservatives stick their fingers up to Kelly Report

Andrew Reeves' running blog (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009

The latest batch of MSP expenses are out and there are two names that stand out John Lamont MSP and Jim Hume MSP, both of which have spent in excess of £20,000 in the last twelve months on postage and office costs. Firstly, let us tackle the issue of dual mandate, something the Conservative leader in Scotland has long banged her drum about, however it appears that her MSPs aren't following the...

19th November - Flooding in Britain / Assessment of Weatheraction Forecast

Weather & Earth Science News (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009

First an update of stories relating to the on-going serious flooding across many parts of Britain: Yesterday there were schools closed and another nightmare commute in West Yorkshire and in Bury, a woman rescued from car as severe flooding hits Borough . In North Wales there was chaos as Conwy Valley is cut off by floods while in Shrewsbury - which receives a lot of the rain that falls on Mid Wales...

Star Does It Again

a swift one... (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009

Last night the doors opened at the Star Inn's 8th Winter beer festival, and again it has gone from strength to strength. Sam and her team have provided another wonderful selection of beers for us to try, both in the marquee and on the bar, from breweries near and far (I didn't mean that to rhyme but never mind; I could write the rest of this in limerick form, or as a sonnet but I don't think my brain...

Flood Warnings for Parts of UK

Pete's 'Today In History' Quiz (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009

It looks as though a rain bearing depression will deposit lots of water (up to 8 inches in extreme cases) on parts of Wales, Scotland and North-West England around Cumbria and the Lake District today and Friday. This will lead to some serious flooding it is predicted. Guess where I'm headed for the weekend - yes, the North-West! We won't be in the worst of it (hopefully) in Lancaster...and it's usually...

Lessons and Observations from an Immigrant Volume...

I DREAM OF HAGGIS (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009

Lessons and Observations from an Immigrant Volume # 1203 Live as an immigrant is all about the Three A's: adjusting, acceptance and assimilation. Being a Canadian, I'm had it a bit easier than other immigrants as English is my first language and the Queen is still on our money (and Head of State in Canada). Nonetheless, I'm still perplexed by Scottish (British?) behaviour and customs. For example,...

Scotland faces pressure over Lockerbie bomber files

Metro.co.uk (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009

The Scottish Government today came under pressure to release all records on the Lockerbie bomber, 90 days after he was freed from jail.

ex Caerphilly double deck bus returns home

buspreservation | 06/07/2008

On Friday the 11th July we will bring an old Double deck bus back home, After 23 years this bus has been kept up in Scotland. It was new to Caerphilly Urban District Council in 1966. Just before deregulation in the mid 80's The then, Rhymney Valley District Council sold her to Jim Doig of Dumfries Scotland. over the last 23 years that Jim has owned this bus, Jim has kept her in pristine condition....