DruidNews

2005-05-03T22:16:00.000Z

Urban children can’t see trees for the leaves

ALAN MacDERMID
April 29 2005

CITY life has left most of Britain's children unable to identify the leaves of the most common native trees, according to a survey published yesterday. Children in Scotland fared worst in the report by the Woodland Trust, which paints a depressing picture of children hanging about the streets when – by their own admission – they would rather be roaming woods, parks and fields. But, in one of Europe's least wooded countries, they have lost touch with nature to the extent that they are unable to identify trees such as oak and ash.

The trust, a conservation charity, set out to discover the attitudes and interaction with the environment of Britain's seven to 14-year-olds. They found that one in seven children never played in the countryside with their friends.
They were worried about the destruction of the UK's environment, but nearly two thirds had not been taught about it at school. The survey revealed that when shown the pictures of leaves from UK trees, most children could not even guess what tree they belonged to, with 94% of children unable to identify common native trees.
Bottom of the pile were birch and hazel, with only 4% of children identifying them correctly. This was closely followed by beech (5%) and ash (6%). Recognition of the field maple (9%) and horse chestnut (17%) fared slightly better. The oak, one of Britain's most recognisable trees, was only identified by a fifth (20%) of children.
Helped by its Christmas role, holly came out top with more than half (54%) of those questioned recognising its leaves.

From: The Herald

2005-05-03T22:12:00.000Z

Landfill site to become the UK's largest urban forest

CHRIS MCAULEY
29 April 2005

A NOTORIOUS landfill site in the East End of Glasgow is to be transformed into the largest urban forest in the UK after the ambitious £1.5 million project was given the green light by city councillors yesterday.

Plans to transform Paterson’s landfill site in Mount Vernon, known locally as Paterson’s Tip, into a verdant oasis in the midst of a post-industrial landscape will now become a reality.

Set to span some 230 acres, the new urban forest will see more than a million trees planted, with lush meadows, wild flowers and rambling walkways replacing current eyesores such as rusting white goods, mountains of waste and overflowing skips.

The news will be especially welcomed by locals, given the infamous reputation of the site, one of the largest industrial dumps in any European city.

From: The Scotsman

2005-05-03T22:11:00.000Z

Academics rock on with art find

22 April 2005

ACADEMICS in Bristol are among a team to have proven ancient engravings at a site in the East Midlands are Britain’s oldest rock art, it was today confirmed.

Scientists from Bristol, Sheffield and the Open Universities have proved the engravings at Crags on the Nottinghamshire Derbyshire border are more than 12,800 years old.

Artefacts left by Ice-Age hunter-gathers excavated from Creswell’s caves have been dated to 13,000-15,000 years old.

From: The Scotsman

2005-05-03T22:07:00.000Z

Bird reserve opens floodgates to nature

JAMES REYNOLDS
ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
7 April 2005

THE Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is to surrender another of its Scottish coastal reserves to the power of the North Sea, with possibly more to follow, in an effort to prepare for the effects of global warming.

Sea-wall flood defences will be deliberately breached at the organisation’s Skinflats reserve on the south bank of the Firth of Forth about three miles west of Grangemouth, allowing the sea - which is rising due to climate change - to flood the land.

It is hoped the process, known as managed coastal realignment, will return a large part of the 13-hectare reserve to salt marsh habitat, providing a haven for rare birds and a natural defence against flooding.

The recent Foresight Report on Future Flooding suggested that average temperatures in Scotland will increase by 3.5C by 2080, and that sea levels could increase by anything from 20 to 70cm by 2050.

Coastal realignment is seen as a natural way to prepare for such an eventuality, while allowing salt marsh to regenerate on its own and countering its disappearance at a rate of 100 hectares a year in the UK. It is also more ecologically beneficial than building gigantic concrete sea walls to oppose an inevitable and organic process.

From: The Scotsman

2005-05-03T22:01:00.000Z

Nationwide survey launched as snake numbers fail to add up

JAMES REYNOLDS
ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
6 April 2005

SCOTLAND’S dwindling population of adders is to be counted in a survey to determine whether habitat destruction and changes in land use have damaged their numbers.

Although three species of snake are native to the UK - the smooth snake, grass snake and adder - only the adder has the ability to survive in Scotland’s harsher weather.

The UK’s only venomous snake, adders are found on heathland moors, the borders of woods and fields, overgrown quarries and railway embankments, although they are absent from much of the central lowlands, the Outer Hebrides and Northern Isles.

From: The Scotsman

Related site: Adder Nation

2005-05-03T21:53:00.000Z

Gaelic Resources

For all those out there who are interested in learning Scottish Gaelic you may find these useful:

Fuaimean na Gàidhlig - The Sounds of Gaelic

Beag air Bheag, a taste of Scottish Gaelic for absolute beginners

Blessings
Potia.

2005-05-03T21:48:00.000Z

What on Earth are we doing to our planet?

JAMES REYNOLDS
ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
30 March 2005

HUMANS are damaging the planet at an unprecedented rate and increasing the risk of abrupt collapses in nature that could spur disease, deforestation or "dead zones" in the seas, an international report has found.

The study, by 1,360 experts in 95 nations, said a rising human population had polluted or over-exploited two-thirds of the ecological systems on which life depends, ranging from clean air to fresh water, in the past 50 years.

"At the heart of this assessment is a stark warning," the 45-member board of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment said. "Human activity is putting such strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted."

The report specifically cautioned that the continued and profligate use of natural resources would result in many of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, agreed by world leaders in 2000, being blocked or missed altogether.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-26T17:20:00.000Z

Scientists see the light as they find two far-off planets

PETER RANSCOMBE
24 March 2005

LIGHT from two planets orbiting distant stars has been detected for the first time by competing teams of American scientists.

The two groups each used NASA’s Spitzer space telescope to observe infra-red light coming from the far-off worlds. The two gas giants, or Hot Jupiters, follow an orbit that is very close to their parent stars. This causes the planets’ atmospheres to heat up and then give off some of that heat as infra-red radiation, which the telescope spotted.

More than 130 planets have been found orbiting other stars since 1995 but never through directly detecting the light they emit. Until now, these "exoplanets" have been found by watching the dip in the amount of light coming towards Earth, caused when a Hot Jupiter passes between us and the star it orbits.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-26T17:10:00.000Z

Music strikes chord on coping with pain

JAMES REYNOLDS
SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT
24 March 2005

MUSIC, be it a Bach symphony or the snarling punk of the Sex Pistols, can relieve pain and lessen anxiety, according to two studies.

The research work, by psychologists at Glasgow Caledonian University, found that people listening to music feel less pain than those who are not and that music can relieve the symptoms of anxiety for patients recovering from surgery.

In one study, 20 people who received minor foot surgery listened to music of their choice as they recovered, while a further 20 who had undergone similar surgery did not.

The patients who had listened to music, regardless of its type, reportedly felt much less anxiety than those who did not.

The second study, which involved inducing pain in volunteers, served to support the first.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-26T17:00:00.000Z

Call for new power plants, but Holyrood vetoes nuclear

GERRI PEEV AND JOHN BOWKER
24 March 2005

Key points
• Committee calls for more nuclear power reactors to meet energy needs
• Executive will block new plants until safety issues on nuclear waste resolved
• 50% Scotland’s energy made by nuclear plants; 1% of UK’s energy by wind

Key quote
"Jim Wallace [the enterprise minister] said recently that, until we have a solution to the problem of safe disposal of nuclear waste, we are not planning any more nuclear power stations. Jack McConnell then endorsed that as the position of the Executive" - Scottish executive spokeswoman

Story in full SCOTLAND should not turn its back on nuclear power if it wants to avoid a crippling energy shortfall in the future, Scottish MPs warned yesterday.

But the Scottish Executive insisted last night that it would block the development of any new reactors unless safety fears were met.

MPs on the Scottish affairs committee said nuclear power stations would help avert Britain becoming a net importer of gas and could be built in as little as five years.

The Scotsman understands Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, has also been told by the government’s most senior scientists that new nuclear power plants must be built to safeguard Britain’s future energy supplies.

The Scottish affairs committee called for a "proper debate" on energy, including an audit of the costs and risks of nuclear and coal power, to be conducted after the election.

Nuclear power accounts for half of Scotland’s electricity and in their report on meeting Scotland’s future energy needs, MPs said the best solution "might be the most controversial decision that the government could take: the rehabilitation of nuclear power".

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-26T16:56:00.000Z

Wildlife at risk due to 'shocking state' of Scotland's waters

JAMES REYNOLDS
ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
23 March 2005

SCOTLAND’S lochs, rivers and coastal waters are in a "shocking state", with many failing to support the typical plants, fish insects and birds found in healthy water systems, according to a damning new study.

Official reports sent by the Westminster government to the European Commission show that, despite years of investment and work by the water industry, both Scotland’s and the UK’s waters remain in a wretched condition - with potentially disastrous consequences for wildlife.

Prepared by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), the report into the water environment shows that 47 per cent of rivers and 62 per cent of lochs in Scotland are suffering from damaging human activity and are at risk of failing to achieve "good status" under the EU Water Framework Directive.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-26T16:49:00.000Z

Farmers encouraged to restore grassland and fens

Graeme Smith
22 March 2005

LANDOWNERS are being encouraged to save and restore Scotland's ancient and declining semi-natural grasslands and fens under a £600,000 scheme launched yesterday.

The grasslands and fens, rich in flowers and native plant species as well as other wildlife, have typically developed as a result of farming over centuries.

They are an important part of our natural heritage, but are easily damaged and their area has declined over the last 70 years.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is trying to reverse that trend with the East Scotland Grassland Management Scheme, which will encourage and reward those who help with the management and care of 83 grassland and fen Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which cover 4731 hectares. These contain just under half of the semi-natural lowland grasslands in Scotland.

From: The Herald

2005-03-26T16:46:00.000Z

Tam O’Shanter’s kirk of witches and warlocks to dance new jig

MARTYN McLAUGHLIN
22 March 2005

It is the ancient kirk where Satan led a gaggle of warlocks and witches in a frenzied jig "till roof and rafters a' did dirl".

But now a dilapidated Ayrshire monument immortalised in Tam O'Shanter, one of the best-known works of Robert Burns, is to be preserved for future generations in the latest effort to safeguard the poet's heritage.

The Auld Kirk of Alloway, the scene of a supernatural dance in the poem, and its churchyard, where Burns buried his father, will be reinstated in a £250,000 project.

From: The Herald

2005-03-26T16:45:00.000Z

Pensioners to outnumber youths within eight years

GERRI PEEV
POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
22 March 2005

PENSIONERS will outnumber children in the United Kingdom in just eight years, according to a study which highlights the looming population crisis.

The number of people aged over 65 has soared by 28 per cent in 30 years as advances in medicine and improvements in relative prosperity fuel longevity, the Social Trends Survey by the Office of National Statistics found.

Meanwhile, the number of under 16-year-olds has dropped by 18 per cent.

Despite an increased lifespan, the study warned that more elderly people than ever would suffer from ill-health.

The burdens on public services would intensify as more elderly people required long-term care - a service which is "free" in Scotland but which English and Welsh pensioners must pay for.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-26T16:40:00.000Z

Study proves growing GM crops has negative impact on wildlife

JAMES REYNOLDS
ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
22 March 2005

Key points
• Scientific study finds GM crops inhibit weeds affecting natural food chain
• One company withdraws EU GM crop application following result
• Scientists collected 1m weeds, 2m insects in world's biggest ecological study

Key quote
"The trials demonstrate the government’s precautionary approach on GM crops and our firm commitment to case-by-case decisions are underpinned by sound scientific evidence" - Elliot Morely, environment minister

Story in full A MAJOR study has confirmed growing genetically modified crops can harm wildlife.

Government-commissioned scientists compared GM winter-sown oilseed rape with a conventional version of the crop, and found that fewer broad leaved weeds and their seeds were present in fields where the GM herbicide-tolerant oilseed rape was grown. Flowers of such weeds are important as food for insects, while the seeds are a major source of sustenance for farmland birds.

The study, published yesterday, found fewer bees and butterflies in the GM crop compared with the conventional oilseed rape.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-21T22:28:00.000Z

Global warming threat to future of Scotland's lochs

JAMES REYNOLDS
ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
Saturday 19 March 2005

GLOBAL warming will cause the bottom layers of Scotland’s deepest freshwater lochs to stagnate and rise in temperature, threatening their sensitive ecology, The Scotsman has learned.

In particular the survival of the Arctic char, one of our least known and most endangered fish species, could be put in jeopardy.

Freshwater lochs such as Loch Lomond, Loch Doon and Loch Morar have a layered structure where the surface and deep waters differ in temperature and density. To keep the bottom layers fresh, the layers have to mix, and for this to happen they have to reach a similar temperature and density for a time. This normally happens in winter when the surface waters cool.

But biologists at Glasgow University have found that if the climate warms as predicted, the surface waters will not cool sufficiently for the layers to mix.

The findings are corroborated by studies in France where research revealed that a mere 1C change in air temperature would be enough to upset the thermal mixture of famous continental lakes including Germany’s Lake Ammersee and Lake Annecy in France.

from: The Scotsman

2005-03-21T22:26:00.000Z

Women more complex than we'd thought

Latest research into the X chromosome brings startling discoveries

ROBERT LEE HOTZ
Saturday 19 March 2005

SCIENTISTS have found genetic evidence for what some men have long suspected: it is dangerous to make assumptions about women.

The key is the X chromosome, the "female" sex chromosome that all men and women have in common. In a study published this week in the journal Nature, scientists said they had found an unexpectedly large genetic variation in the way parts of women’s two X chromosomes are distributed among them. The findings were published in conjunction with the first comprehensive decoding of the chromosome.

Females can differ from each other almost as much as they do from males in the way many genes at the heart of sexual identity behave, researchers say. "Literally every one of the females we looked at had a different genetic story," says Duke University genetics expert Huntington Willard, who co-wrote the study. "It is not just a little bit of variation."

The analysis also found that the obsessively debated differences between men and women were, at least on the genetic level, even greater than previously thought. As many as 300 of the genes on the X chromosomes may be activated differently in women than in men, says the other author of the paper, Laura Carrel, molecular biologist at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-21T22:19:00.000Z

The Norfolk Blackbird that takes its holidays in Devon

By David Sapsted
(Filed: 17/03/2005)

A blackbird bitten by the travel bug is amazing ornithologists by taking annual winter breaks in the same gardens in Devon rather than staying in wind-swept Norfolk.

While many of his kind are content to spend their entire lives within a few miles of their place of birth, Roger the blackbird - or CL98725, as ornithologists know him - flies 228 miles each autumn from his native Thetford to a garden in Newton Abbot.

From: The Telegraph

2005-03-06T21:33:00.000Z

Experts show official wind power claims are hot air

JEREMY WATSON
27 February 2005

CONTROVERSIAL plans to build thousands of wind turbines across Scotland will make almost no difference to greenhouse gas levels, according to new research by leading environmental scientists.

The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies says that even on the most optimistic assumptions, renewable sources of energy, such as wind power, will have only a "minor impact" on reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

The report, by one of the UK’s leading think tanks on energy policy, is a serious setback for the Scottish Executive. Ministers hope to convince voters that around 70 new wind farms will make a significant contribution to slashing carbon dioxide levels by at least 20% over the next 15 years.

But the institute’s report argues that previous experience shows governments fail to meet their targets for building wind farms, and even when they do deliver their promises, they have little impact on greenhouse gas levels.

Other technologies, such as nuclear energy, which produces no carbon dioxide, now deserve to be given closer consideration by ministers, even if they are unpopular with voters, the report says.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-06T21:31:00.000Z

Why long lost beaver will soon give a dam about the Highlands

JEREMY WATSON
27 February 2005

THEY ARE much admired by engineers and children, but the great outdoors of Scotland will have seen nothing like them for more than 400 years.

Electronically-tagged beavers are to be set free into the wild under a new £500,000 plan designed by government scientists.

Scottish Natural Heritage wants to release up to 20 of the dam-building, aquatic animals on a wildlife reserve in Argyll as part of an ambitious programme to reintroduce extinct species back into the country.

If approved by the Scottish Executive, the beavers will be imported from Norway and held in quarantine pens before release next spring.

They will be tracked electronically to ensure they do not stray outside the trial area in Knapdale Forest on to surrounding land.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-06T21:28:00.000Z

Astronomers reveal first invisible and starless galaxy

RHIANNON EDWARD
23 February 2005

ASTRONOMERS have discovered an object which appears to be an invisible galaxy made up almost entirely of dark matter, they revealed today.

The galaxy, the first of its kind to be detected, has been named VIRGOHI21, and is 50 million light years away.

It could only be found using radio telescopes because there are no stars to give light.

A dark galaxy is an area in the universe containing a large amount of mass that rotates like a galaxy, but contains no stars. Similar objects previously discovered have turned out to contain stars when studied with high-powered telescopes, while others were the remnants of two galaxies colliding.

But when the international team of scientists studied their find, they uncovered no visible trace of any stars and no nearby galaxies which would suggest a collision.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-06T21:26:00.000Z

Whales use 'sound map' of sea floor to navigate

NICHOLAS CHRISTIAN
20 February 2005

WHALES navigate hundreds of miles using a mental map of the sea floor based on sound, scientists revealed yesterday.

They also use their songs to communicate across thousands of miles of ocean, new research has found. The discoveries have emerged from a study of whale song that is redefining what experts know about the giants of the deep.

Scientists used a network of ex-Cold War US Navy underwater microphones to listen to whales singing. Once the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) followed Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic. Now it is being employed to track blue, fin, humpback and minke whales.

The acoustic maps obtained from the recordings have given scientists a new insight into the world of the whale.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-06T21:23:00.000Z

Iona among gems 'at risk from climate change'

JEREMY WATSON
20 February 2005

IT IS one of Scotland’s best-known islands and a place of pilgrimage for tourists around the world.

But the religious centre of Iona is today named on a list of Scottish treasures under threat from global climate change.

The list has been compiled by the island’s owner, the National Trust for Scotland, which wants to highlight the potential damage to many of its 120 properties in Scotland from violent storms and rising sea levels caused by global warming.

On the list are some of the trust’s best-known properties including the island of St Kilda, Montrose Basin, Arduaine Garden, Canna and Culzean Castle, Ayrshire.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-06T21:20:00.000Z

Greenhouse gases 'do warm oceans'

By Paul Rincon
BBC News science reporter, in Washington DC
17 February 2005

Scientists say they have "compelling" evidence that ocean warming over the past 40 years can be linked to the industrial release of carbon dioxide.

US researchers compared the rise in ocean temperatures with predictions from climate models and found human activity was the most likely cause.

In coming decades, the warming will have a dramatic impact on regional water supplies, they predict.

Details of the study were released at a major science meeting in Washington DC.

The conference is the annual gathering of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

From: BBC News

2005-03-06T21:18:00.000Z

Oldest human remains date back 195,000 years

WESLEY JOHNSON
17 February 2005

TWO human skulls discovered in Africa have been confirmed as the oldest known examples of our species.

The remains, unearthed in Kibish, Ethiopia, are estimated to be about 195,000 years old and come from around the time modern humans are thought to have emerged.

The fossils, called Omo I and Omo II, were uncovered in 1967, but experts have disagreed over their ages. However, a report in the journal Nature says the two fossils were the same age and humankind’s oldest relics, despite the fact Omo I’s features were more "modern".

Frank Brown, of Utah University, a co-author of the study, said the redating pushed back the known dawn of mankind, the record of which, in most cases, starts only 50,000 years ago.

From: The Scotsman

2005-03-06T21:16:00.000Z

Arctic turning into chemical dump - WWF

17 February 2005
JOHN INNES

THE Arctic is becoming a chemical dump, with higher concentrations of some man- made chemicals than the countries where the pollutants were made, according to a new report.

Chemicals ranging from banned pesticides, such as DDT, to modern flame retardants are building up in Arctic wildlife.

Some are affecting the immune, hormonal and reproductive systems in polar bears and others are building up in fish, seals and whale populations.

UK waters are also affected by the increasing problems of chemical contaminants in the Arctic, says the report by WWF (World Wildlife Fund).

From: The Scotsman

2005-02-16T15:06:00.000Z

Senses special: The art of seeing without sight

29 January 2005
Alison Motluk

IT IS an odd sight. A middle-aged man, fully reclined, drawing pictures of hammers and mugs and animal figurines on a special clipboard, which is balanced precariously on a pillow atop his ample stomach.

A half-dozen people buzz around him. One adjusts a towel under his neck to make him more comfortable, another wields a stopwatch and chants instructions to start doing this or stop doing that, and yet another translates everything into Turkish. A small group convenes in a corner to assess the proceedings. A few of us just stand around watching, and trying not to get in the way. The elaborate ritual is a practice run for an upcoming brain scan and the researchers want to get everything just right. Meanwhile, the man at the centre of all this attention, a blind painter, cracks jokes that keep everyone tittering.

The painter is Esref Armagan. And he is here in Boston to see if a peek inside his brain can explain how a man who has never seen can paint pictures that the sighted easily recognise - and even admire. He paints houses and mountains and lakes and faces and butterflies, but he's never seen any of these things. He depicts colour, shadow and perspective, but it is not clear how he could have witnessed these things either. How does he do it?

Because if Armagan can represent images in the same way a sighted person can, it raises big questions not only about how our brains construct mental images, but also about the role those images play in seeing. Do we build up mental images using just our eyes or do other senses contribute too? How much can congenitally blind people really understand about space and the layout of objects within it? How much "seeing" does a blind person actually do?

From: New Scientist

2005-02-16T15:00:00.000Z

Antarctic's ice 'melting faster'

2 February 2005

A team of UK researchers claims to have new evidence that global warming is melting the ice in Antarctica faster than had previously been thought.

Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (Bas) say the rise in sea levels around the world caused by the melting may have been under-estimated.

It is thought that over 13,000 sq km of sea ice in the Antarctic Peninsula has been lost over the last 50 years.

The findings were announced at a Climate Change Conference in Exeter.

From: BBC News

2005-02-16T14:56:00.000Z

Computer calculation forecasts tropical climate in UK

ANGUS HOWARTH

27 January 2005

THE biggest computer calculation of its kind has forecast a degree of global warming greater than previously predicted, with Britain becoming an unrecognisable tropical country in a few generations.

Under the forecast, which estimates a rise in the average global temperature of 11C, the ice caps would melt.

But because climate change affects latitudes away from the equator the most, temperatures in Britain could rise by as much as 20C, changing the face of the country and the lives of its inhabitants.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change bases its current policies and recommendations on a warming range of 2C to 5C.

The new project, climateprediction.net, is an experiment in climate modelling that uses the spare processing capacity of thousands of computers.

From: The Scotsman

2005-02-16T14:54:00.000Z

Man-made greenhouse gases saved world from big freeze

RHIANNON EDWARD

24 January 2005

HUMANS may have unwittingly saved themselves from a looming ice age by interfering with the Earth’s climate, according to a new study.

The findings from a team of American climate experts suggest that were it not for greenhouse gases produced by humans, the world would be well on the way to a frozen Armageddon.

Scientists have traditionally viewed the relative stability of the Earth’s climate since the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago as being due to natural causes.

But there is evidence that changes in solar radiation and greenhouse gas concentrations should have driven the Earth towards glacial conditions over the last few thousand years.

What stopped it has been the activity of humans, both ancient and modern, argue the scientists.

Over the last 8,000 years carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have gradually risen, when previous trends indicated that it should have dropped. Methane, another greenhouse gas, had also increased instead of falling.

The unexpected trends could be explained by massive early deforestation in Eurasia, rice farming in Asia, the introduction of livestock, and the burning of wood and plant material, all of which led to an outpouring of greenhouse emissions.

From: The Scotsman

2005-02-16T14:52:00.000Z

Call for the lynx to prowl Highlands again

JAMES REYNOLDS
ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

22 January 2005

IT IS more than 1,800 years since the lynx stalked and ambushed its prey in the Highland forests. But if a new scientific study is heeded by government agencies and conservation groups, that could rapidly change.

According to the research, Scotland has enough of the right habitat and plentiful non-livestock prey to bring the feline carnivore back without any damage to farmers’ livelihoods, The Scotsman has learned. The report, by David Hetherington, a PhD student at Aberdeen University, adds momentum to the growing calls for Scotland’s large, once-indigenous mammals - which became extinct at the hands of man - to be brought back.

From: The Scotsman

2004-12-31T21:21:00.000Z

Asia Quake Disaster

Like many others I have watched with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes at the images on the news of the effects of the tsunami. So many lives, so much devastation, so many communities changed beyond all recognition by the effects of this disaster. The link above will take you to the BBC News website on the disaster.

There is little we can do to help but I urge all of you reading these words to do what you can. Donate money to the relief funds, make donations of goods to charities that you know are helping, if you are in a posistion to do more practically then do it. The following site has links to many organisations that have launched appeals: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4131881.stm

Blessings,

Potia.

2004-12-31T21:14:00.000Z

Nine out of ten hottest years in the last decade

Friday 17 December 2004
JAMES REYNOLDS ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

THIS year was the fourth hottest since global records began in 1861, scientists have revealed.

It follows an emerging pattern, predicted by climate experts, which has shown that nine out of ten of the hottest years on record have occurred in the last decade.

The findings were compiled by the Met Office and the University of East Anglia (UEA) for the World Meteorological Organisation.

Phil Jones, a professor and director of the climatic research department at UEA, said: "That nine of the ten warmest years on record have occurred in the last decade is truly remarkable. The most likely reason, we believe, is that the world is getting warmer because of global warming."

From: The Scotsman

2004-12-31T21:11:00.000Z

Warning of repeat of historic climate catastrophe

Thursday 16 December 2004
JOHN INNES

A SUDDEN and catastrophic change happened to the Earth’s climate about 5,000 years ago and history could be repeating itself today, scientists have warned.

New research suggests that the "monumental" change would have had a major impact on emerging cultures at the time.

The scientists behind the evidence, from Ohio State University, in the United States, warn that the lesson from the past is to beware of "tweaking" the planet’s finely tuned climate system, which can have drastic consequences.

Data from sources ranging from ancient frozen plants to ice core records and pollen deposits suggest a sudden drop in temperature 5,200 years ago, followed by a brief surge.

The most likely explanation is a huge solar oscillation which caused the Sun’s energy output to fall precipitously and then flare up. This had a devastating impact on Earth, the research suggests.

From: The Scotsman

2004-12-31T21:07:00.000Z

1 in 10 bird species could be extinct within 100 years

Tuesday 14 December 2004
CRAIG BROWN

MORE than one in ten bird species are in danger of extinction within the next 100 years and their loss could cause irreparable damage to the world’s ecosystem, according to new scientific research.

Another 15 per cent could be on the brink of disappearing before 2100, according to a new study by researchers in the United States.

Not only will this hit forest ecosystems and agriculture worldwide, it is thought that the loss of specific species, such as the scavenger Asian vulture, will also encourage the spread of human diseases.

Already, species such as the capercaillie and albatross are known to be at risk of extinction, but now a group of researchers from Stanford university are warning that these could be just the tip of the iceberg.

From: The Scotsman

2004-12-31T21:01:00.000Z

Spiritual Britain worships over 170 different faiths

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
(Filed: 13/12/2004)

Britons follow more than 170 different faiths or belief systems, according to newly-published official figures which suggest that spirituality is thriving.

The huge range of belief, much of it exotic or New Age, has been revealed by the raw statistics collated during the 2001 census, the first national count of religious affiliation.

... ...

The census found that spiritualism, the belief that the dead can be contacted through mediums, was the eighth largest faith group, with 32,404 people claiming allegiance. The first spiritualist church was established in England at Keighley in Yorkshire in 1853.

Just behind them were the pagans, with 30,569 supporters, although their numbers rise to nearly 40,000 if wiccans (witches) and druids are included.

Suzanne Evans, a writer on paganism, said the figures confirmed that it is one of the fastest growing religions in the country.

She said it was environmentally friendly, treated God as both male and female and regarded sexuality as something to be celebrated.

From: The Telegraph

2004-12-31T20:58:00.000Z

Swifts are nature's 'Top Guns'

Friday 10 December 2004
RHIANNON EDWARD

SWIFTS were yesterday shown to be the Top Gun aviators of the natural world.

A study shows how the birds fly in similar style to supersonic fighter jets such as the F-14 Tomcat piloted by Tom Cruise’s character in the movie Top Gun.

Not only are their scythe-shaped wings swept back for fast flight, but they generate tornado-like "leading edge vortices" (LEVs) to produce extra lift and assist manoeuvrability.

Aerospace engineers hit on both solutions when designing modern military aircraft.

Swifts are renowned for their aerobatic abilities, which they put to use chasing flying insects.

From: The Scotsman

2004-12-31T20:55:00.000Z

Monkeys use tools to dig

Friday 10 December 2004
RUSSELL JACKSON

MONKEYS have been observed using stones to dig up tubers - a form of tool use never seen before in a non-human species, it was revealed yesterday.

Two Cambridge University scientists recorded stone digging in three groups of capuchin monkeys in the Caatinga dry forests of north-east Brazil. Stones were also used as hammers to crack open seeds, to open hollow branches and to break tubers.

While digging, the monkeys typically held a stone with one hand and hit the ground rapidly three to six times. At the same time, they scooped away soil with their other hand.

The scientists, Antonio de Moura and Phyllis Lee, wrote in the journal Science: "The most frequent type of tool use was digging with stones, which was observed in groups more than 20km apart. The customary use of stones to dig up tubers, roots or insects has yet to be described for any primate population in the wild or captivity other than humans."

From: The Scotsman

2004-12-09T22:25:00.000Z

Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals (SSPCA), Boscastle Witchcraft Museum, Maggie's Centre

What do all of these have in common? DruidCon

When we started to plan for the first DruidCon we decided at that stage that any profits the conference made would go to charity and to be honest at that point we weren't expecting to make a profit and would have been delighted to break even. The charity chosen for DruidCon 2003 was Maggie's Centre. This is a charity that works to support individuals and their families and friends in dealing with cancer. For us that was an easy choice as two of the founding members of Caer Clud had died within a couple of months of one another of cancer in 2001. DruidCon 2003 raised £141.72 for the Maggie's Centre in Glasgow.

When we started planning for DruidCon 2004 we had some long discussions on which of the many worthwhile charities we should support this time and in the end we went for the SSPCA. Druidcon 2004 was even more successful than the previous year. Due partially to a larger proportion of more local presenters and a few other changes including some sponsorship from the Scottish Mead Company we raised much more money. The tragic flooding at Boscastle occured only a couple of weeks before DruidCon 2004 so we also had a collection for the Museum of Witchcraft fund. Again this had been brought much closer to home in that one of our members was actually on holiday and visiting Boscastle on the day of the floods and her rental car was one of those swept out to sea.

DruidCon 2004 was able to send £100 to the Museum fund and we also raised a massive £685.76 for the SSPCA.

Today I had the honour of visiting the Glasgow Cat and Dog home which is run by the SSPCA and presenting the cheque on behalf of everyone at DruidCon.

It's not easy to plan and organise events on this scale as anyone who has ever been involved in similar things will tell you, but if people have a good time (and we have had many favourable reports and a lovely review) and if we can raise this sort of money for charities then it is worth every single frustrating and exhausting moment.

Thank you to everyone who helped at DruidCon and everyone that attended.

Blessings be upon you and yours and I hope to see you there next year (on Saturday 27 August 2005).

Potia.

2004-12-09T22:21:00.000Z

Shoppers are being misled by ‘healthy’ foods

CAMERON SIMPSON
2 December 2004

SHOPPERS are being misled into paying more for apparently healthy foods that have more saturated fat, sugar and salt than standard versions.

According to the Which? magazine study, slogans such as Good for You!, Be Good to Yourself and Healthy Living are "pulling the wool" over customers' eyes.

From: The Herald

2004-12-09T22:18:00.000Z

Start date set for Kyoto treaty

18 November 2004

The Kyoto Protocol on fighting climate change is to become a legally binding treaty on 16 February, the UN has said.

Russia handed official ratification papers to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in Nairobi on Thursday.

Russia's accession gives Kyoto support from countries that emit at least 55% of the world's greenhouse gases.

The protocol commits 55 industrialised nations to making significant cuts in the emission of gases such as carbon dioxide by the year 2012.

What exactly is the Kyoto treaty and how much difference will it make? Questions and answers about the protocol.

From: BBC News

2004-12-09T22:15:00.000Z

Unearthed: ancient burial pit shows how Bronze Age Scots prepared for afterlife

By Paul Kelbie, Scotland Correspondent
25 November 2004

Archaeologists have hailed the discovery of an early Bronze Age cemetery as one of the most significant in Britain after new technology enabled them to pinpoint the date of graves.

From: The Independent

2004-12-09T22:14:00.000Z

Remembered at last: animals who served during wartime

25 November 2004

A new £1m memorial in London marks the contribution made by the animal kingdom to the United Kingdom. Jonathan Brown looks at some of the stories behind the Park Lane sculpture

They died in their millions, the victims of wars waged by man against his fellow man. In huge numbers, animals were deployed alongside the military in the theatres of conflict, in the deserts, the seas and the sky. They carried troops, ferried supplies and even secrets. On the home front, dogs rescued victims trapped in the rubble of bombed buildings. On the front line, even the humble glow-worm was pressed into action, providing light for the men in the trenches of the Somme to read.

From The Independent

2004-12-09T22:11:00.000Z

The green, green grass of home . . . on the roof

STEPHEN STEWART
23 November 2004

IN a move that could take the phrase 'Dear Green Place' to new heights, Glasgow council officials are studying plans to transform the city's skyline through a green roofs initiative.

Covering the tops of buildings with plants, trees and grasses would bring environmental, aesthetic, and economic benefits, they argue, and are consulting with colleagues in London, Switzerland, and Germany.

The notion of green or "living" roofs as an outdoor space that improves quality of life is prevalent in European cities such as Paris, Berlin, and Venice. It is hoped the project would bring a number of other benefits to Glasgow, including reducing drainage costs, extending roof life, and cutting the amount of air pollution.

From: The Herald

2004-12-09T22:09:00.000Z

Highland bid to bring back wild animals

PETER MARTELL
21 November 2004

A MILLIONAIRE businessman has bought a 23,000-acre estate in the Highlands in a bid to reintroduce the wolf, the brown bear and the lynx to the wild.

Paul Lister, 45, the son of the co-founder of the MFI furniture chain, will disclose plans for the game reserve to fellow landowners and wildlife organisations next weekend.

He plans to offer safaris to visitors on the Allandale Estate, 40 miles north of Inverness, which straddles Sutherland and Ross and Cromarty.

Lister, who bought the £3.2m estate after years of preparation, is the founder of a charity that protects wolves in Romania. Visitors will be able to spot a British ‘Big Four’, with plans to introduce the European bison. Moose and boar may also be added.

From: Scotland onSunday

2004-12-09T22:03:00.000Z

Otter bucks trend as 3,000 species join danger list on dying planet

17 November 2004

JAMES REYNOLDS ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

MORE than 15,500 plant and animal species across the world are now threatened with extinction, an increase of 3,000-plus since last year, according to one of the world’s leading conservation organisations.

Almost half the species of freshwater turtles are threatened, as are one in three amphibian species, one in eight bird species and one in four mammal species, the new "Red List of Threatened Species" reveals. The list is published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), more commonly known as the World Conservation Union.

From the most impressive predators, such as sharks, to miniscule frogs, the list shows that the world’s biodiversity is shrinking at an unprecedented rate.

Among the latest list’s observations are the extinction of the Hawaiian crow, which now only exists in captivity, the move from near-threatened to critically-endangered of the Balearic shearwater and the giant Hispaniolan galliwasp lizard, and the outright extinction of the St Helena olive. Almost all species of tortoises and freshwater turtles in east and South-east Asia are in serious decline, and even though only 373 out of a total of around 1,100 species of sharks, skates and rays have been assessed, 18 per cent are already listed as threatened.

On a more positive note, there have been some improvements, such as a rise in population of the European otter, which is native to Scotland. It has been downgraded from the near threatened category to vulnerable, as has the corncrake.

From: The Scotsman

2004-11-17T23:17:00.000Z

Lost city of Atlantis 'found' off the coast of Cyprus

MICHAEL THEODOULOU IN LIMASSOL, CYPRUS

Key points
• Claims man-made structures off coast of Cyprus are lost city of Atlantis
• Archaeologist believes Cyprus island is remains of Atlantis peninsula
• Myth of Atlantis dates back to accounts by Greek philosopher Plato

Key quote
"The list of evidence is truly enormous. The people who dismiss it are people who have not done their homework. This is all based on real science." - Robert Sarmast, archaeologist

IT IS a legend which has excited the imagination of explorers and adventurers for centuries ... an ancient city lost for millennia beneath the sea. While some discount the existence of the city of Atlantis as the stuff of myth and fable others have spent their lifetimes searching for the lost civilisation.

From: The Scotsman

2004-11-06T17:17:00.000Z

Elections in America

The World watched and waited as America voted. Now that the votes are in there are a number of opinions appearing both inside America and outside of it. The BBC has a range of these opinions on the page Bush victory: Global reaction and there are links to a large number of related pages if you're interested in them.

As for me I'm not sure what to think. I don't know enough about Kerry to judge if he would have been better than Bush but on the other hand could anyone have possibly been worse? I'm not keen on Bush but then fervent Christians often make me nervous, actually overly fervent anything makes me nervous! Please don't get me wrong I've nothing against Christianity (or any faith come to that) and know some wonderful Christian people it's just that fundamental/evangelical opinions and behaviors regardless of what faith they are representing make me nervous. I don't like it when people are utterly convinced that their way is the right way. We are all so different even if we live in the same land (which most of us don't) how can the same way possibly be right for all of us?

Only time will tell if Bush will do better or worse in his second term as American Persident. Only time will tell if the World will suffer more or less from his leadership. I hope it will be less, I fear it will be more.

Blessings,

Potia.

2004-11-06T17:08:00.001Z

Scientists find new species of 3ft humans

By Roger Highfield, Science Editor(Filed: 28/10/2004)

The remains of a new species of human have been discovered on a remote Indonesian island - a spectacular find that could rewrite the story of human evolution.
The diminutive cavewoman shows that another kind of human walked alongside us much more recently than thought.

This questions current ideas about intelligence, further undermines traditional ideas about modern humans being unique, and even hints that other species of Homo may have survived into recorded history.

The 18,000-year-old skeleton, nicknamed 'the Hobbit', has provided the first glimpse of a lost world east of Java inhabited by little people who crafted stone tools, roasted elephant, built rafts and probably used language.

From : The Telegraph

Meet the human hobbits
ELEANOR COWIE

28 October 2004

A tiny creature discovered on a remote Indonesian island raises the distinct possibility that there might be another human species on earth.

In a find hailed as one of the most important human origin discoveries of the past 100 years, scientists identified the fossil of the 3ft female as a new member of the human race.

She lived 18,000 years ago, but scientists believe her relatives survived for thousands more years on the island of Flores.

Experts have not ruled out the possibility of her descendants, or other unknown human species, still hiding in the forests and cave systems of south-east Asia.

From: The Herald

2004-11-06T17:01:00.000Z

Tea helps memory

Ian Sample, science correspondent
Tuesday October 26, 2004

Scientists have come up with the ideal riposte for those accused of taking too many tea breaks: tea keeps your brain healthy, they say. Tests on green and black tea suggest that regular tea drinking could help prevent age-related memory loss and keep dementias such as Alzheimer's disease at bay.

Ed Okello and colleagues at the Medicinal Plant Research Centre at Newcastle University discovered that tea blocks brain enzymes that destroy acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that carries messages between brain cells.

Though scientists do not fully understand the causes of Alzheimer's disease, those affected have extremely low levels of acetylcholine in their brains. Drugs to treat the condition work by boosting the neurotransmitter back to normal levels. Normal age-related memory loss is also linked to a loss of acetylcholine.

By halting the destruction of acetylcholine - a natural and necessary process in healthy brains - chemicals in tea could prevent levels of the neurotransmitter dropping too low.

From: The Guardian

2004-11-06T16:55:00.000Z

Aid agencies' warning on climate

20 October 2004

The greenhouse effect could wreck attempts to lift the world's poorest people out of poverty and reverse human progress, campaigners say.

A report by a coalition of environment and aid agencies calls for urgent action to avert the threat.

The Working Group on Climate Change and Development says industrialised countries must cut carbon emissions massively by mid-century.

They must also help developing nations adapt to climate change, it argues.

From: BBC News

2004-11-06T16:51:00.000Z

Ornithologists in the dark on owl decline

Britain's five native owl species seem to be steadily falling in number, but their nocturnal habits make them difficult to observe. A huge research effort to chronicle numbers and causes for their decline is being organised by the British Trust for Ornithology, which launched an appeal 19 October 2004.

Details are at the BTO Owl Appeal site, please consider donating if you can.

2004-11-06T16:30:00.000Z

Bats fail to weather wind of change
VICKY COLLINS, Environment Correspondent

18 October 2004

BATS may be the latest victims of climate change after this year's wet and windy summer killed large numbers of their young.

The Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) said calls to its helpline about starving or dead bats increased dramatically this summer. Conservation workers fear high winds and heavy rain may have seriously damaged populations of some of Scotland's rarer species, such as the Brandt's, Noctule and Leisler's.

From: The Herald

2004-11-04T13:43:00.000Z

Greetings All..
In light of the recent election here (USA). I suppose our "Common Quest" as conservationalists and Druids, is to find a way of imparting our values in a system that rewards a more conservative view.Wisedom dictates, in my opinion, that we continue to carry the banner for the rights of wildlife, and the land, and we continue to support the efforts of those that do not nessesarily follow the extreme right wing, dogmatic views. We must be strong in our resolve and make certain that our voices are heard, as Pagans and children of the Goddess. I beleive this election is part of a bigger plan, and we will see the big picture in the Goddess' time. I believe the wisest of us, will auger the signs of Nature and work towrads educating....and be ready for the great change that is upon us...only in preparing ourselves can we and watching vigilently can we do what is needed in the years ahead,....The winds of change are blowing, success will come to those that bend with the breeze, rather than break.."the future has taken foot in the present, it has begun"...

Comments welcomed...and blessings to all,
Lady Nimue

2004-10-16T21:13:00.000Z

Amphibian decline serves as global warning

JAMES REYNOLDS, ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
Fri 15 Oct 2004

NEARLY one in three species of frogs, toads and newts in the world is under threat of extinction, according to the most comprehensive global study of amphibians ever conducted.

The report shows that amphibians are experiencing tens of thousands of years worth of extinctions in the space of a single century, with 122 species having disappeared from the wild since 1980.

The discovery, reported in the journal Science today, is seen by researchers as a potential early warning of impending environmental disaster.

Amphibians act like "natural barometers", because their highly permeable skin makes them so sensitive to the effects of climate change and pollution. Any upheaval in the natural world is likely to affect them first.

More than 500 scientists from 60 nations took part in the Global Amphibian Assessment, the first worldwide audit of their populations.

From: The Scotsman

The polluted planet: Alarm as global study finds one-third of amphibians face extinction

By Steve Connor Science Editor
15 October 2004

They were the first animals with backbones to walk on land. They witnessed the rise and fall of the dinosaurs and were present at the birth of a bipedal ape who went on to become the most destructive species the planet has ever known.

Amphibians - frogs, toads, newts and salamanders - are among the longest surviving animals on earth, yet something dramatic now threatens that longevity. And mankind is responsible.

A global study revealed yesterday that almost a third of amphibians face extinction - and pollution is cited as the biggest cause. The three-year survey, involving 500 scientists from more than 60 countries, has found that a third of the 5,743 known species are threatened with being wiped out and at least 427 are so critically endangered that they could disappear tomorrow.

From: The Independent

2004-10-16T21:09:00.000Z

Pressure points

The climate is changing. But where will we see the devastating effects first? Ian Sample reports on Earth's 12 most fragile places

Thursday October 14, 2004

Cast an eye over the many forests' worth of scientific literature on global warming and it quickly becomes clear that working out what a temperature rise of a few degrees will mean for life anywhere on the planet is far from straightforward. Vast ice sheets may melt, sea levels will rise, and faced with a new climate, species must adapt, move or perish. Yet the precise details of how any of it will happen are, frankly, unknown.
Now it seems the future has become even more uncertain. Climate scientists say they have identified a dozen weak links around the world, regions where global warming could bring about the sudden, catastrophic collapse of vital ecosystems. The consequences will be felt far and wide.
An abrupt halt in one ocean current could devastate Antarctic fish stocks, while disruption to another could make temperatures in Britain and elsewhere plunge. When rains return to the Sahara, disease and crop damage from pests could soar. Meanwhile, a drier Amazon will trigger huge die-back of the forests, threatening many species with extinction. Losing the forests will itself exacerbate global warming.

From: The Guardian

2004-10-16T21:00:00.000Z

Callanish Stones to star in rare lunar broadcast

JOHN ROSS
13 October 2004

THE mysterious Callanish Stones in the Western Isles will be the centrepiece of a live broadcast being planned to capture a rare lunar event.

The standing stones on Lewis have intrigued archaeologists and historians for 6,000 years. Erected by Neolithic farming people, they are believed to have a special association with the cycle of the moon.

The site includes a central circle with four limbs running out in line with the points of the compass. Some of the stones are said to be aligned with the sun and moon at various times of the year and could have been used to predict eclipses and the coming of the seasons.

Every 18 and a half years, a moonlit event culminates in the appearance of the "Earth Mother", a figure seemingly outlined in the shape of the hills south of Callanish. The next is due in 2006.

After rising over the figure, the moon passes through the Callanish Stones and, as this happens, if a person stands on the hillock at the higher south end of the site, the moon is "reborn" with a person silhouetted within it.

Victor Reijs, an archaeo-cosmo enthusiast, plans to broadcast the 2006 event worldwide via the internet and is on Lewis gathering support to set up a web cam.

From: The Scotsman

2004-10-16T20:57:00.000Z

Climate change warning for Scots as levels rise

RHIANNON EDWARD
12 October 2004

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners yesterday called for urgent action to tackle global warming, after a sharp rise in the rate at which greenhouse gases are accumulating in the atmosphere was recorded over the past two years.

The increases were uncovered by an observatory 12,000ft up a mountain in Hawaii, which has been measuring the amount of in the atmosphere since 1958.

The average rise in levels has been about 1.6 parts per million in recent decades, although there have been several peaks associated with El Niño - a disruptive weather pattern in the tropical Pacific.

However, in the past two years the level has risen by 2.08ppm and 2.54ppm and neither was an El Niño year.

Friends of the Earth Scotland’s chief executive, Duncan McLaren, said the rise in concentrations was something of concern to everyone and he urged politicians to take immediate action.

From: The Scotsman

2004-10-16T20:55:00.000Z

Surprise CO2 rise may speed up global warming

By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor
11 October 2004

The rate at which global warming gases are accumulating in the atmosphere has taken a sharp leap upwards, leading to fears that the devastating effects of climate change may hit the world even sooner than has been predicted.

Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2 ), the principal greenhouse gas, have made a sudden jump that cannot be explained by any corresponding jump in terrestrial emissions of CO2 from power stations and motor vehicles - because there has been none.

Some scientists think instead that the abrupt speed-up may be evidence of the long-feared climate change "feedback" mechanism, by which global warming causes alterations to the earth's natural systems and then, in turn, causes the warming to increase even more rapidly than before.

From: The Independent

2004-10-12T15:00:00.000Z

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello all...

I would love to talk about bumper stickers.
Yes, bumper stickers, those wonderful pieces of free advertising that you can place anywhere you like.
This topic occured to me, as I was driving one day, looking at all the different expressions on people's cars. Especially at this time of political fervor...pro-Bush, anti-bush...Christian "fish" emblems, Darwin "truth" emblems....what an amasing way to speak your mind to the masses.
My car says quite alot... "Child of the Goddess", "Its a Druid Thing"..."Tree hugging Dirt Worshipper".."Defend America, Defeat Bush"..."Born Again Pagan"....."Wildlife Activist".....you think I have something to say?
Sometimes while I am at a stop, I see people behind me, squinting to read my bumper, usually shaking their heads in disapproval..sometimes, giving me the thumbs up.
I find it interesting to say the least, and I realise, the bumper forum, gives me a voice, gives us all a voice that can be heard freely. Perhaps it helps us to reach out to those who are like-mined, and give those who are not something to ponder. Its not that I am trying to be a rebel, I just enjoy putting me two cents in.
So, let's hear it for the bumper sticker...it can transform even the most beautiful vehicle, into a rolling billboard.

Thoughts?

Peace,
Lady Nimue

2004-10-10T16:34:00.000Z

Wisdom, Integrity, Justice and Compassion

These four words are carved into the Scottish Mace that presumably would have been used and carried at the opening of the Scottish Parliament building at Holyhead in Edinburgh last Friday (8th October 2004). I wonder how many of our serving politicians there, or elsewhere come to that, actually think about the meaning of these words.

Recently I was at an Interfaith meeting where we talked about these words and we came to the conclusion that there were two others we wanted to add to this list - Truth and Service.

We all hope that our leaders at what ever level have all of these qualities and that they use them but in reality most of us now seem to fear that many of our leaders (particularly in the field of politics) do not know what the truth is, don't have any integrity or compassion, don't understand what justice is (or at least don't really honour that concept) and rarely seem to have any wisdom. As for service, the question that seems to need asking is "who are our leaders really serving?". Our political leaders should be serving the people and the land but I think many of us feel that all too often they are too far removed from what the people and the land really needs and wants from them.

So in this time I ask all of you that read this to consider what these words mean to you. To think about the leaders that are supposed to serve you. To think about what, if anything, you can do about any of these things and act as you see fit. If nothing else you can keep these words close to your heart in your daily lives and lead others by your example.

Many blessings,

Potia.

2004-10-10T16:29:00.000Z

Entire Iron Age village discovered at lochside

TIM BUGLER
9 October 2004

ARCHAEOLOGISTS yesterday announced the discovery of an entire Iron Age village on an until-now unexamined site on the west bank of Loch Lomond.

A team from the West of Scotland Archaeology Service and a research unit at Glasgow University have spent months digging and sifting through soil at the site, which is being cleared for a golf course and leisure development.

Among their finds is a pre-Christian Iron Age glass bead described as "a national treasure". The bead has "a beautiful swirled design" of which only one other example exists in Scotland.

A spokesman for the West of Scotland Archaeology Service said yesterday: "The investigations have revealed an unprecedented concentration of previously unknown archaeological sites.

"It gives us a fantastic opportunity to increase, and in some cases alter, our understanding of the past. The glass bead find is a significant one and will be regarded as a national treasure."

The Iron Age village dates from around 100 BC, while digs on the site, have revealed three small Bronze Age urn cemeteries dating from around 1800 BC and an early Christian burial site.

From: The Scotsman

2004-10-10T16:19:00.000Z

Emissions treaty is approved by Russia

By Tom Parfitt in Moscow and Charles Clover, Environment Editor(Filed: 01/10/2004)

The Kyoto treaty on climate change could be in force throughout the world by next April after the Russian cabinet approved it yesterday.

The treaty, which was negotiated seven years ago and imposes legally binding cuts in greenhouse gas emissions upon 36 industrialised countries, still has to be approved by the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.

From: The Telegraph

2004-10-10T16:12:00.000Z

Revealed: secret of the deep on why the world is humming

MARTYN McLAUGHLIN
30 September 2004

IT is a gentle humming noise that has baffled and irritated scientists in equal measure. But researchers yesterday pinpointed this constant deep drone, which is below the range of human hearing, as the product of an Earth "orchestra" consisting of the atmosphere, the oceans and the sea floor.

They believe the sound is probably caused by the conversion of storm energy to oceanic waves. This energy is then transferred to the sea floor, interacts with the shape of the ground, and sets up vibrations in the Earth called Rayleigh waves, which create the noise.

From: The Herald

I find it wonderful that science knows the Earth has it's own song and something of its composition even if it is a song our ears can not hear.

Blessings,

Potia.

2004-09-07T17:45:00.000Z

Hello All..

I am writing you 3 days post Frances.
Regardless of where you live, this Huricane has been news.
I have lived here in Florida,nearly my entire life, and have weathered storms, and huricanes before, and yet have never experienced a storm like this.
As we awaited her landfall, we were like sitting ducks. When I say we, I refer to people, animals, wildlife, trees, and all living things...all of us were at her mercy.
Will she come today...if so, when? Then finally she struck with a fury that only the Gods could devise. As I sat in my home, husband on one side, dog on the other, and cats sleeping peacefully...I heard her winds roar thru my home, at will. I peaked out of my door windows, and could see all of the trees and plants, and creatures that I so adore, endure this.

I cried.

We fed the birds and squirrels throughout the storm when we could, just trying to help them keep their strength.
They all stayed on our property, lined in rows along the foundation of our home....I again realised, that they think of this place as their home, as well. They knew that here, they would be safe. Again, I cried, but these tears were of appreciation for such an amasing connection to the wildlife we love.
We did lose one bird, and all things here, including us, were shell-shocked, but little by little things are returning to normal. This event will stay with me for my lifetime..it taught me that no matter who we elect to office, no matter what we decide, really about anything...in the grand scheme of things, we are at the mercy of the Gods, and the forces of Nature.

Or are we?

Perhaps, if we can alter our perception...if we can see ourselves as instruments of new things, rather than victims of the Elements...if we can take this wonderous event and allow it to motivate us to help others, change current policies, or just to love every minute of every day, then maybe we are not sitting ducks at all. Maybe we are all part of a greater thing called...creation.

For me, it has stirred me to action.
As of now, there are no storm shelters that allow animals. Hence, if you are evacuated, you are faced with the cruel decision, of either leaving your animals behind, or risking your own life. This is an outrage.
So, I have started making calls, and I am going to try to get a grant to build a shelter that people could go to with their beloved furry friends. There is money out there for this, and our culture is far too civilised to not have an option for animal lovers.
From all endings, come a beginning, this lesson repeats over and over...Talisen's tale comes to mind.

I will post updates regarding my new quest, and as always, blessings to you all.

Cheers,
Lady Nimue

2004-08-29T11:51:00.000Z

Greatings!
Front page of the local paper, this morning, states...GOP intends to refocus Americans on the war against terror.*

I am appauled.

I intend to vote a straight Democratic ticket, just to stop this fear based madness....Kerry/Edwards...hmm, does it matter who the candidates are? At this point, as long as the name is not Bush, I will be glad.
A friend and I were chatting on politics yesterday..actually debating. She an independant, I, democrat...we debate everything from America in Iraq, to driving those SUV's.
There could not have been to more opposing opinions.
I found it hard to believe that their are actually American's that support all of this ...what about health insurance? and education..etc? Isnt it time to stop this fear based aganda, and get back to our problems her at home?
But people like her, are so caught up in this cycle of fear...when will the enemy strike next?...they cant see that "perhaps" there were alterior motives in this war.
Are we all supposed to live looking over our shoulders, constantly?
Or shall we get back to the business of governing the people of America?
Let us protect our shores...we must, I agree... at the same time, let us strengthen our citisens, by providing health care, education opportunities, and a lesson that fear based actions can only result in fear based retaliations.
National security is very important, but to base an entire campaign upon it, comes from a position of weakness, in my opinion.
Trying to keep us frightened so that the GOPs can control the situation...even if I were to support the Republican platform, this type of manipulation angers me. Of course, all the candidates have agendas, it would not be politics, otherwise, but to promote fear, and justify a largely unsupported war, goes against all I believe as someone questing for the Druidic way.
I believe there are points to be made on both sides.....but I know where my vote is going.

Cheers!
Lady Nimue

*Source...Sun-sentinel..Broward-Metro edition

2004-08-25T20:53:00.000Z

test

2004-08-25T20:52:00.000Z

How Recent Brain Research Can Inform the Design of Online Learning.
Katrina A. Meyer, PhD, University of Memphis.

"Abstract:
Is it possible that recent research into the brain can open the "black box" of student thinking? This review of recent findings from brain researchers can help online educators design better learning experiences for students."

Now I realise that this is a bit different from some of the ususal items on this site but I read this article earlier today and several things struck me as being valuable information for a range of people including those of us who walk the Druid path. Sections I found particularly interesting were the ones on "Emotions, Beliefs and Symbols and "The Role of Will and Attention". Try reading it yourself.

Blessings,

Potia.

2004-08-25T20:41:00.000Z

Impacts of Europe's changing climate

The European Environment agency (EEA) has published a report on the impacts of climate change on Europe's environment and society. Past trends, the current state, and possible future changes of the climate in Europe are considered, and the report highlights the need to develop strategies at European, national, regional and local level for adapting to climate change. The report focuses on 22 selected indicators in eight different categories: atmosphere and climate; glaciers, snow and ice; marine systems; terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity; water; agriculture; economy; and human health. Key findings discussed include: increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the lower atmosphere; retreat of glaciers, snow cover and Arctic sea ice; increase in sea temperature and rise in sea level; changes in annual river discharge; economic effects of extreme weather events; and increase in tick-borne diseases.

Findings indicate that even if society substantially reduces its emissions
of greenhouse gases over the coming decades, the climate system is projected
to continue to change over the coming centuries. Consequently, there is a
need for society to prepare for, and adapt to, the consequences of some
inevitable climate change. In order to prevent or limit severe damage to the
environment, society and economies, adaptation strategies for affected
systems are required at European, national, regional and local level.

2004-08-25T20:29:00.000Z

'Hidden' wind farm shows way ahead for green energy

ROBERT FAIRBURN
25 August 2004

SCOTLAND’S flagship wind farm was hailed yesterday as an example of the way forward for the renewable energy sector. Lewis Macdonald, the deputy environment and lifelong learning minister, took critics to task as he officially opened the site that is poised to become Britain’s biggest wind farm.

Twenty turbines are already in operation at Crystal Rig in the heart of the Lammermuir Hills - on the boundary of the Borders and East Lothian - providing clean energy for about 33,000 homes. It is Scotland’s most powerful wind farm, with a 50-megawatt capacity. Another five turbines will be built by 2005.

From: The Scotsman

2004-08-25T20:18:00.000Z

'Clean air' threatens to speed global warming

JAMES REYNOLDS ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
24 August 2004

AIR pollution may have masked the true extent of the threat posed by global warming, according to a leading scientist.

Aerosols - particles of pollution in the air - help to cool the earth but, as they diminish in coming decades, global warming may be found to accelerate, Professor Meinrat Andreae of the Max Planck Institute in Mainz, Germany, has claimed.

Prof Andreae told a major pollution conference in London that warming will be especially fast if aerosol "cooling" has hidden a higher climate sensitivity than is generally assumed.

From: The Scotsman

2004-08-25T20:00:00.000Z

Please spare a thought for Farmers everywhere who have been badly affected by the weather.

Farmers face ruin as rain blights harvest

By Charles Clover, Environment Editor, and Matilda McLean(Filed: 24/08/2004)

Farmers face one of the worst harvests in memory, with rain-sodden crops rotting in the fields and the prospect of rock-bottom prices for what they can salvage because of good crops abroad.
The Meteorological Office said that this month was likely to be the wettest August on record and the National Farmers' Union said that about half of the wheat crop was still in the fields when, last year, it was all in the barn.

From: The Telegraph

The lost harvest: rain spells ruin for farmers

Crops rotting in the fields, prices collapsing... the wettest August on record has had a catastrophic effect on British agriculture.

Jonathan Brown reports
25 August 2004

On the high lands above the river Humber, on the rolling farmland of the Yorkshire Wolds, combine harvesters work late into the night during August. It is the highlight of the farming year. For an industry that has become increasingly mechanised and impersonal, the time is normally one of community and excitement.

This year, however, the rumble of the machines is absent and many of the crops lie rotting in the fields. The culprit is the appaling weather that has seen torrents of rain falling across much of Britain this summer.

From: The Independent

2004-08-25T19:55:00.000Z

Rethinking the Picts
by David Keys

"Loathsome hordes, dark swarms of worms that emerge from the narrow crevices of their holes when the sun is high, preferring to cover their villainous faces with hair rather than their private parts and surrounding areas with clothes."

So wrote the sixth-century British churchman Gildas, lamenting the depredations of Pictish and other Scotland-based barbarian "butchers" a century earlier following Rome's abandonment of its British provinces in A.D. 410. This characterization of the Picts as illiterate, uncivilized, scantily clothed, and promiscuous heathens has clung to them to the present day. And although over the past half century scholars have regarded the cleric Gildas as a somewhat biased commentator, most haven't tended to see the Picts as outstandingly civilized either.

Now, however, one of the most detailed surveys of their art has revealed that these archetypal barbarians actually developed a deep knowledge of the Bible and of some aspects of Roman classical literature. "Over the years, the public has often been fed a somewhat distorted view of the Picts. The truth is, they were in fact much more sophisticated than most people have suspected up till now." So say leading medieval art historians George and Isabel Henderson, the husband-and-wife team who produced the new survey, published earlier this year as The Art of the Picts. George Henderson is emeritus professor of art history at the University of Cambridge, England, where Isabel also taught the subject for over 20 years.

From: Archaeology
A publication of the Archaeological Institute of America
Volume 57 Number 5, September/October 2004

© 2004 by the Archaeological Institute of America
www.archaeology.org/0409/abstracts/picts.html

2004-08-24T17:21:00.000Z

What about bugs?

In this month's edition of Touchstone, there was an article regarding the struggle we, have in killing, namely bugs.
Im sure most of us are aware of the Buddest philosophy of killing anything, and we as Druids, I believe, share in those thoughts. All life is sacred, period. However, this article challenges us to re-think our actions based upon that truth. Afterall, it is survival of the fittest, and one must protect themselves and those they love from harm. If that means taking a life to do so, that is what we must do. Most cultures will absolve the act of killing if the killer can prove it was in defense from eminent danger. But..what about bugs? As much as I am a woodland creature as a Pagan, I dont especially care for bugs. I dont like them in my home, or on me, especially biting me. I recognise that many carry disease and I must protect home and hearth, and limbs from these bloody insects. At best, the bites itch or hurt, at worst, they can take a young or aged or weak immune system and reak havoc upon it. At the same time, I do respect their co-existence.
As I read the wise Druid's words,I heard a call to examine our place in the game of life. Are we part of the chain of existence, and therefore, fall subject to the rules the other animals live by, or are we sentient beings with a greater capacity to separate ourselves from that game by using free will?
Is the mere fact that we have guilt when we kill enough to distinguish us from the rest? Or is survival most important?
I sumbit that as Pagans, we honour the animal within, animals kill for their survival or run from those that do. Are we better than them? No, we are them, difference being, we strive to outthink instinct towards a higher enlightenment. Who is to say that bug we kill is lesser than us? Not I. Perhaps that bug's simplicity in being, is what I strive for. Nome the less, if it is an invader, I will try to take it outside, but if I must I will kill it, and I will think on that action and be responsible for it. Will I feel guity, yes, but maybe thats my higher self reconising the true depth of my actions. Perhaps, the bug's role in my life was to help me accomplish just that.
I am proud to call this Druid, my Tutor, and appreciate his article.

Cheers!
Lady Nimue

Ref: Touchstone Sept 04 :Tutor's Letter

2004-08-22T16:00:00.000Z

This is from friends in America

INTERFAITH COALITION DECLARATION

Dear Friends of Peace and Justice,

We have attempted to find common ground among diverse communities of faith to articulate a patriotic point of view that seems absent from much of our nation's public newspapers and airwaves. It is of the utmost importance that we do not allow the President or his fundamentalist Christian allies to monopolize discussion of what faith requires of us in these difficult times.

We send you this Declaration in the hope that you will use it to approach as many individuals and groups as you can. Use it as a document for discussion, as the basis for articles in your local newspaper, or letters to the editor, and don't forget to communicate with your elected officials and men and women in the armed forces or their families.

DECLARATION OF CONSCIENCE
By the Western Massachusetts Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice

"We know that dissent is not disloyal; what is unpatriotic is subservience."
~Rev. William Sloane Coffin

We call on people of good faith everywhere to join us in speaking out against policies that bring shame on our nation. It is because we love our country that we must speak out against its failures. We remind ourselves and others that all life is sacred, that each human being is endowed with inherent dignity and worth, and that we all inhabit the same fragile planet.

It is with heavy hearts and troubled consciences that we look at recent actions by our government that have sullied the reputation of our country and have wounded and killed thousands around the globe.

We deplore:
Our nation's resort to pre-emptive war and its abandonment of long-standing international treaties and obligations.
The arbitrary detention of hundreds of people without the right to a hearing or to counsel.
The inhumane treatment, degradation and torture of Iraqi prisoners, including children, held on suspicion of resisting the American occupation.
Our government's abrogation of responsibility in the face of the widespread looting and anarchy that followed the defeat of the Iraqi armed forces.
The undermining of our civil liberties when the government took such powers as secret surveillance, arrest and detention of persons without hearing for cause as well as other measures of a totalitarian nature.
The President's assertion that our nation is engaged in a battle of good versus evil and his assurance that right is always on our side.

Let us work within our communities and with men and women in our armed forces to unite against the use of terror without dehumanizing ourselves or others. And let us labor in whatever way we can with our elected officials to protect civil liberties, to increase security through international cooperation, and to abide by our treaty obligations and strengthen international institutions that promote law and justice. We urge every American to seek within their own religious and spiritual traditions the inspiration and teachings that speak of human interdependence and reject warfare as the principal means of settling differences.

"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men and women."
~Abraham Lincoln

2004-08-21T11:50:00.000Z

Greetings!

For anyone watching the USA Presidential elections, it would seem
that Bush is losing favor with Broward county local candidates.
We can only hope the sentinment will rub off onto their constiuents.
In other local news, it would seem that the effects of Hurricane Charley, may have actually boosted employment figures for the state. Of course, this is no surprise. We all know, from an ending, comes a beginning, quite fitting for the Season of Lughnasadh. Still much clean-up, however, people are pooling efforts. Hopefully, such neighbourhood comradery will be remembered.

Cheers,
Lady Nimue

2004-08-20T22:59:00.000Z

Hello All..

This is Lady Nimue.. I look forward to posting.

Cheers!
Lady Nimue

2004-08-20T22:19:00.000Z

Chairman Mao's secret cure for malaria

By Roger Highfield(Filed: 19/08/2004)

A synthetic version of a drug used for more than 1,500 years in Chinese medicine is hailed today as a breakthrough in efforts to reduce the million deaths caused each year by malaria.

Treatment based on the Chinese herbal remedy qinghaosu was developed during Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution but tensions with the West delayed its spread.

Today, derivatives of artemisinin, a compound extracted from sweet wormwood, offer the most effective antimalarial therapy available. Malaria parasites have never evolved resistance to it.

From: The Telegraph

2004-08-20T22:05:00.000Z

Sceptic's tests support homoeopathy. Now the challenge for scientists is to repeat it

By Steve Connor, Science Editor
19 August 2004

To some it is the snake oil of the New Age. To others it is a tried-and-trusted treatment that has been good enough for the likes of Bill Clinton, the Prince of Wales, Geri Halliwell and David Beckham.

Homoeopathy is big business and getting bigger. Yet there is little if any evidence to show that it works, and absolutely nothing to justify its central claim - that highly diluted solutions containing nothing but water can affect human health.

That is until now. Researchers have just published what could be the first hard evidence in a peer-reviewed scientific journal that appears to support the central idea behind homoeopathy.
The scientists, from Britain, France, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands, have chosen the relatively obscure but respected Inflammation Research to publish what some call the "holy grail" of homoeopathy.

In summary, the study found that extremely dilute solutions can have a biological effect. Like homoeopathic remedies, the solutions in the experiments were so diluted that there was no realistic chance of a single molecule of the substance remaining in the liquid.

From: The Independent

2004-08-18T17:41:00.000Z

URGENT APPEAL ON BEHALF OF THE MUSEUM OF WITCHCRAFT

On 16th August 20004 the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall, UK,which holds one of the most significant Pagan and Witchcraft collections in the world, was seriously damaged by flash floods which have devasted Boscastle.

Graham King and all the Museum staff are safe. The building is still standing, but there is serious damage to the collection. We will not know the extent of this for a while yet. The Museum is appealing for help from the Pagan community. They would like to assure all their friends and supporters that the Museum will be back.

The friends Of The Museum and the Pagan Federation Devon and Cornwall are co-ordinating the appeal for help. Two kinds of help are needed:

Donations; If you are able to send donations, please make them payable to:
Pagan Federation Devon and Cornwall and send them to:
PO Box 314,
Exeter,
EX4 6YR,
UK.
Please send cheques, postal orders or IMOs (not cash) and markthe envelope "Museum Of Witchcraft". All donations will be acknowledged (eventually!).

Practical help: All kinds of volunteer help will be needed to clean up, save the collection and re-build the Museum. This help will not be needed for a few days yet, but if you can help, please email your details to either:
thecrowman@houseoftheoldways.fsworld.co.uk or: levannah@aol.com.

Someone will contact you when we know what is needed. We will also email updates as we get them.

Many thanks and Goddess Bless to everyone who has already been in touch to offer help and support. The Museum will not be beaten by this.

Please circulate this information as widely as you can.

Blessings of the Old Ones
Levannah Morgan and Adrian Bryn-Evans
(Friends of the Museum Of Witchcraft and Pagan Federation Devon and Cornwall).

Donations
You can now make a donation to the Boscastle Witchcraft Museum Flood Relief Fund through the Children of Artemis website.

2004-08-18T17:38:00.000Z

Scot to lead study into rising acidity of oceans

FRANK URQUHART

!8 August 2004

A SCOTTISH scientist is to lead a major investigation into the threat to marine life being posed by the rising acidity of the world’s oceans, caused by pollution from greenhouse gases.

Professor John Raven, of the School of Life Sciences at Dundee University, will lead a working group of eminent scientists appointed by the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science.

Its task will be to assess all the available evidence on the extent of acidification in the world’s oceans and the potentially disastrous impact on marine life.

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission recently reported that up to 25 million tonnes of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide are being added to the oceans each day. Once in the water, carbon dioxide reacts to form carbonic acid.

From: The Scotsman

2004-08-18T17:34:00.000Z

New book identifies Ireland as Atlantis

04/08/2004

A new book investigating the myth of Atlantis says that the mythical land was actually the island of Ireland.

The claim is made by geologist Ulf Erlingsson in his book 'Atlantis from a Geographer's Perspective: Mapping the Fairy Land', who is to visit Ireland on August 11 to 13.

In his book Erlingsson bases his evidence on Plato's desription of Atlantis which, according to Erlinsson, matches Ireland perfectly. Statistically, the scientist claims, the probability is over 99.98% that Plato was describing Ireland.

Erlingsson says: "Just like Atlantis, Ireland is 300 miles long, 200 miles wide, and widest over the middle. They both feature a central plain that is open to the sea, but fringed by mountains. No other island on earth even comes close to this description."

From: Ireland On-line

2004-08-14T21:57:00.000Z

How to Be Creative

From Stephen Downes OLDaily
2 August 2004

"Nice article that should probably have been titled "How to be good at anything." The author's main point is that "everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb," and that the difference between a worthwhile life and the other lies in the decision to climb it (my 'Everest' is stated at the bottom of my home page).

Once you make the decision to accept your own particular challenge, it becomes a matter of aligning your priorities and being clear about your motivations. "If somebody wants to rip my idea off, go ahead. If somebody wants to overtake me in the business card doodle wars, go ahead. You've got many long years in front of you. And unlike me, you won't be doing it for the joy of it. You'll be doing it for some self-loathing, ill-informed, lame-ass mercenary reason. So the years will be even longer and far, far more painful. Lucky you." I really agree with the advice in this article. Believe in yourself. Ignore the jerks. Stand fast to your ideals. Learn. Be the best at what you love to do. Find Everest, and whatever you do, at least try to climb it. "The pain of making the necessary sacrifices always hurts more than you think it's going to. I know. It sucks. That being said, doing something seriously creative is one of the most amazing experiences one can have, in this or any other lifetime. If you can pull it off, it's worth it. Even if you don't end up pulling it off, you'll learn many incredible, magical, valuable things. It's NOT doing it when you know you full well you HAD the opportunity- that hurts FAR more than any failure." By Hugh MacLeod, gapingvoid, July 25, 2004"

I really enjoyed Hugh's comments on being creative and I think you will too :)

2004-08-14T21:52:00.000Z

Body in workshop throws up Iron Age puzzle

DAVID HARTLEY

13 August 2004

THE body has lain at rest for about 1,500 years. The teeth would once have formed a beautiful smile and there are two ornate rings on the toes - one on each foot.

The big question puzzling archaeologists who uncovered the near-perfect skeleton is: why would a corpse be buried in the middle of a busy Iron Age workshop? For it seems certain that life carried on as normal after the grave was dug and the body placed inside - the workers continuing to smelt metal to make jewellery and other products.

The discovery, at Mine Howe in Orkney, is unique for an Iron Age site in Scotland and has baffled the team carrying out the dig.

"It’s very strange. The last thing we were expecting to find was a burial," said Jane Downes, from Orkney College, one of the archaeologists leading the excavation. "Fragments of human beings have sometimes been found within Iron Age houses, but this is a formal burial of an entire body - dressed with jewellery - within what would have been a busy workshop.

From: The Scotsman

Mystery of Iron Age woman with rings on her toes

STEPHEN STEWART

SHE would have been a highly-skilled artisan who was buried 1500 years ago, her body covered with ornate jewellery and emblems of her high status.

Yet, with her rings still adorning her toes, she was laid to rest in one of the most unusual burial sites known to archaeologists: beneath the floor of a busy Iron Age workshop.

The discovery, at Mine Howe in Orkney, is extremely rare for an Iron Age site in Scotland and has baffled the team carrying out the dig.

From: The Herald

2004-08-14T21:36:00.000Z

Six areas created to save natural heritage

STEPHEN STEWART

12 August 2004

Planners are to create six havens for plants and animals across Glasgow, preserving the city as the "dear, green place" and safeguarding invaluable natural heritage.

Sites on both sides of the Clyde have been earmarked as local nature reserves (LNRs), areas of outstanding natural interest and biodiversity.

The city already has two LNRs, but city council officials have now outlined additional areas which will be protected, managed and improved to provide research opportunities and recreational space.

From: The Herald

2004-08-14T21:29:00.000Z

Dig team baffled over tribe who suddenly upped sticks

STEPHEN STEWART

July 26 2004

ARCHAEOLOGISTS are investigating a 2200-year-old mystery surrounding one of Scotland's rare Iron Age clifftop forts.

Excavations have revealed that the unusual fortification, 100ft up a cliff on the Galloway coast, was suddenly and inexplicably abandoned by the Novantae, an early Scottish people.

Work at the prehistoric settlement at Carghidown, near the Isle of Whithorn, has contributed to a better understanding of the little-known tribe who lived in what today is south-west Scotland.

The tribespeople went to considerable lengths to fortify the small promontory fort and obscure it from the view of would-be attackers. However, experts have been baffled by the discovery that the tribes left the site almost overnight, abandoning their building works to the elements.

From: The Herald

2004-08-14T21:25:00.000Z

New war on Clyde salmon poachers

CHRIS MCAULEY

6 August 2004

THE welcome return of salmon to the Clyde catchment area in recent years is a tribute to the work of environmental agencies and those councils bordering the banks of the river in tackling pollution and increasing purity levels in the fast- flowing waters.

But with the return of the king of fish to the Clyde comes another problem - the return of those intent on catching them illegally for commercial gain.

Poaching is an age-old activity that has plagued salmon and sea trout fisheries since time immemorial, and from next week the battle lines will be drawn again as water bailiffs mount patrols along the river to stem the illegal netting of fish.

From: The Scotsman

2004-08-14T21:20:00.000Z

For cod's sake stick to salmon, scampi and sprats

Cod, plaice and skate should be off the menu until depleted stocks recover, according to a guide published at fishonline.org. But Dover sole, North Sea herring, coley, red mullet, Cornish mackerel and farmed scallops can still be eaten with a clear conscience.

If you are concerned about declining fish stocks and the welfare of our seas the Marine Conservation Society FISHONLINE website can help you identify which fish are from well managed sources and/or caught using methods that minimise damage to marine wildlife and habitats.

2004-08-14T21:18:00.000Z

Disaster at sea: global warming hits UK birds

By Michael McCarthy Environment Editor

30 July 2004

Hundreds of thousands of Scottish seabirds have failed to breed this summer in a wildlife catastrophe which is being linked by scientists directly to global warming.

From: The Independent

2004-08-14T21:13:00.000Z

Animals facing extinction given berths aboard science's 'frozen ark'

EDWARD BLACK

27 July 2004

In Old Testament times, Noah’s ark saved animals from the wrath of God. Now scientists have developed the world’s first "frozen ark" to preserve the genetic blueprints of species threatened by mankind.

It is hoped that, with advances in cloning techniques, the stored DNA information could one day be used to bring back extinct animals.

Hundreds of animal species die out every week and thousands more are expected to disappear over the next 30 years. Researchers say that, without such a project, our descendants will be left with only museum specimens.

The scheme was launched yesterday at the Natural History Museum in London, where the first creatures to enter the "frozen ark" included the spotted seahorse, Arabian oryx, Socorro dove and Partula snail. The field cricket is the only British animal to feature so far; its genetic makeup will be stored at -80C at Nottingham University’s Institute of Genetics.

From: The Scotsman

2004-08-14T21:11:00.000Z

Seroxat controversy deepens with Europe-wide warning on suicide

By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor

26 July 2004

A new warning that the controversial antidepressant Seroxat may increase the risk of suicide in young adults up to the age of 30 is to be issued throughout Europe.

Seroxat is among the biggest selling drugs in the world and is taken by between 600,000 and 800,000 people in the UK, of whom "a significant proportion" are aged under 30, according to the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline.

From: The Independent

2004-08-14T21:08:00.000Z

Arrival of dolphins and seals gives Father Thames a clean new image

By Jonathan Brown and Danielle Demetriou

26 July 2004

With its pungent sewers and overcrowded banks, the Thames was described by the Victorian magazine Punch as little more than a "foul sludge and foetid stream".

Nearly 200 years later, the river has long benefited from a modern drainage system, making it unrecognisable from its more aromatic past. But it is only now that it is reaping the rewards of its cleaner waters.

From: The Independent

2004-08-14T21:03:00.000Z

SaveGaelic.org Site Update

The SaveGaelic.org website has just been given a much needed face
lift. Over the next few weeks will be adding more content to the site so be
sure to drop by and take a look. We also now have well over 300 forum members and it has been extremely active in the last few months. We encourage requests for translation
to be posted on the forum so everyone can take advantage from the answers.

Le meas,

SaveGaelic.org

2004-07-19T18:48:00.000Z

Rare sea eagles spread their wings as numbers soar

17 July 2004

JAMES REYNOLDS ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

BRITAIN’S rarest bird of prey has experienced the most significant expansion of its breeding range since it was re-introduced to Scotland almost 30 years ago.

The Scotsman has obtained new figures showing that on the chain of islands stretching from the Butt of Lewis down to Barra Head, the number of breeding sea eagles has increased by 20 per cent.

The number of immature and non-territorial birds seen in the area has also risen sharply compared with last year, and experts at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Scotland (RSPB) believe this may mean that sea eagles are spreading their impressive 8ft wingspans and expanding their range to make a permanent home in the Western Isles.

As one of the UK’s rarest resident birds - there are only 30 territorial pairs in the country - the rise in sea eagle numbers is being hailed as a milestone in the species’ reintroduction.

from: The Scotsman

2004-07-19T16:16:00.000Z

Newborough Forest Preservation Support Group!

Quote from their website:
Newborough Forest is a 750 ha pine and broadleaf tree forest set on the south west coast of the beautiful Isle of Anglesey, North Wales, United Kingdom.

Anglesey is a magical and mystical island – reputed to be the last stronghold of the Druid people – it is steeped in ancient myth and legend.

Once upon a time, our beautiful island was covered in magnificent Forests. Now it only has 1450 ha left – equating to 3.5% of our Landmass area. This makes us in the bottom 3 countries in Europe For woodland cover. Now our beloved Newborough Forest is under Threat as proposal by the CCW suggests returning more than 50% of it to Sand Dunes by 2015 under an EC Habitats Directive.

We the stakeholders in our precious woodland resource want to say “ No ! “ to this proposal. Please enter our site, read our unfolding tale and maybe you will be persuaded to lend your Support to our noble cause…………….

What more is there to say?

2004-07-19T15:53:00.000Z

It's Brit Art, but not as we know it

Steve Farrar
Published: 09 July 2004

The cave engravings emerged first, then shadowy bas-reliefs. Steve Farrar reports

The finest collection of Ice Age bas-relief sculpture found on a cave ceiling is as elusive as it is beautiful. Indeed, the experts who will soon officially announce the discovery overlooked its existence during a preliminary survey.

A search of Church Hole, a cave in Creswell Crags, near Worksop, Nottinghamshire, last year first revealed engraved - as opposed to bas-relief - images of horses, bison, red deer and possibly a wolf that are probably more than 13,000 years old. Until then, the Ice Age residents of Britain were widely considered impoverished cousins of continental Europeans who produced rich cave paintings and carvings. But even as that image crumbles, the team admits that the most astonishing achievements of the Creswellian artists initially evaded detection.

"We'd seen no bas-relief before," says Paul Bahn, an independent scholar and leading Ice Age art expert. "When we first saw the horse's head, we thought it was a trick of the light."

The oversight is forgivable. At first glance, only the natural cracks and bumps of the limestone are evident in the cave. But with expert guidance, a menagerie of animals can be espied in the gloom. Chaotically aligned, overlapping figures peer out from every corner. First come the engraved outlines, which reveal a sophisticated understanding of the animals' physiology. Then comes the bas-relief, formed by chipping away rock to leave images proud of their background.

Many combine natural features suggestive of an animal with sculpted elements such as an eye, ear or muzzle. Among them is a large brown bear and the horse - a haunting image with a bas-relief mane - whose mouth is formed by a white chip of mineral in the rock.

Paul Pettitt, lecturer in human origins at Sheffield University, who organised the search for UK cave art with Dr Bahn 18 months ago, notes how a minimum of elaboration was often enough to complete the picture. "They bring out the ghost of these animals' form," he says.

When the experts began the work, they dared not imagine they would enjoy such success. Dr Pettitt and Dr Bahn were joined by Sergio Ripoll, a leading Ice Age art specialist at the Spanish Open University, who is renowned for having "the eyes" to detect previously unrecognised cave art. They started at Creswell Crags, where traces of Ice Age people had been found. Twenty minutes after entering Church Hole something caught Dr Ripoll's eye.

"I saw a line and suddenly a head was there. I then said a very big bad word in Spanish - it was so exciting," Dr Ripoll says. He had found the outline of what later turned out to be a red deer stag.

Since then, up to 81 possible pictures have come to light, most emerging since international experts descended on Creswell in April to discuss the discoveries.

The artists are thought to have been the first hunter-gatherers to return to Britain after the last Ice Age. Dr Pettitt says the artwork suggests strong cultural links between the people of Creswell Crags and their counterparts elsewhere on the great plain that once linked Britain to Germany.

The experts admit they can only guess what the pictures meant to the artists, though their sheer number suggests they were intensely personal. Dr Pettitt interprets boomerang-shaped figures found deep in the cave as highly stylised depictions of dancing women similar to those found on the continent. His colleagues are not convinced.

"We still argue for hours and bounce ideas about," Dr Bahn says. The evidence is still coming in. It seems likely that Church Hole was completely covered in pictures, while the handful of images identified in other Creswell caves makes it possible that the entire gorge was decorated. The pictures might even have been brightly painted - a possibility that infra-red imaging could soon confirm.

With more discoveries possible elsewhere in Britain, it seems the original exponents of Brit Art are finally getting recognition.

From: The Times Higher Educational Supplement

2004-07-19T15:50:00.000Z

Farms are encouraged to go wild

7 July 2004

DAN BUGLASS

TENS of millions of pounds are to be ploughed into Scottish farms to protect the nation's flora and fauna, it was announced yesterday.

The money will be used by farmers to go organic or create field margins providing habitats for small mammals, and protect rivers from pollution.

Allan Wilson, deputy minister for environment and rural development, unveiled more than £38m of funding to encourage the management of farmland habitats to protect wildlife and improve water quality.

From: The Herald

2004-07-19T15:41:00.000Z

New era as work starts on the UK's biggest wind farm

7 July 2004

JAMES REYNOLDS ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

CONSTRUCTION of what will be the UK’s largest wind farm in an area designated as an RAF low-flying zone has started at Hadyard Hill in South Ayrshire. The £90 million project heralds the start of what officials are calling a new era of co-operation from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to reduce a backlog in the wind farm planning system.

From: The Scotsman

For those interested there are a number of articles on wind farms including some campaigns against them on the Scotsman site.

2004-07-19T15:37:00.000Z

Further protection for volcanic islands

3 July 2004

RHIANNON EDWARD

PROTECTION given to one of the most famous natural environments in the UK has been extended, it emerged yesterday.

The volcanic archipelago of St Kilda, in the Outer Hebrides on Scotland’s west coast, has already been given World Heritage status for its bird colonies. But now the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has extended this protection to include the waters surrounding the islands.

St Kilda, which comprises the islands of Hirta, Dun, Soay and Borery, is inhabited by large colonies of rare and endangered species of birds, including puffins and gannets. It is one of five sites to be granted an extension by UNESCO. The extension encompasses a marine area of around 225 sq km, with the islands at the centre.

From: The Scotsman

2004-07-19T15:33:00.000Z

Rare rose is found during island walk

3 July 2004

PAUL DONALD

A RARE and "remarkable" rose never seen before in Scotland has been discovered by a wildlife officer walking on Coll in the Western Isles.

The spotted rock rose, Tuberaria guttata, has previously only been found in two sites in the UK, south of the Border. Yesterday, experts from Scottish Natural Heritage and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) were calling the unique find "remarkable".

RSPB Scotland Coll Reserve warden, Simon Wellock, said the find was a "coup" for Scotland and a poignant moment for the organisation, as it is celebrating 100 years of working in Scotland this year. He said "Even if you know what this plant looks like, it is very unlikely you will ever get to see one flowering as it all happens so quickly.

"For most of the plant’s life, it just looks like a stem, but if you catch it at the right time, it unfolds beautiful bright yellow petals and is rather unique.

"However, these petals can all fall off by midday of the same morning they unfolded. This plant is found nowhere else in Scotland, and it’s a red data book species. In conservation terms, this is a bit of a coup."

From: The Scotsman