The Scotsman back issues from April 2006:
a week in the life of ... Simon Farquhar
Apr 01, 2006; ... MONDAY I recently wrote a play for Radio 4 and we spent an intensive dayon Monday recording it. It is set in Cullen and is an optimistic playabout village life in the 1960s. It stars Twiggy, alongside somegreat young Scottish actors. Twiggy was absolutely gorgeous in reallife, ...
Say it with flowers
Apr 01, 2006; ... what to buy now ... florals Douse your wardrobe in Baby Bio as this season we're takingserious inspiration from beautiful blooms. Draw on the 1950s and pickvintage-style sunflower and tea-rose prints, as spotted in ...
Forest reigns
Apr 01, 2006; ... WE'VE ALL SEEN the depressing statistics: tropical rain forestscover 7 per cent of the world's surface, contain 50 per cent of itsbiodiversity, but are being laid waste by loggers, farmers and otherhuman incursions at a rate of one and a half acres every second. Incentral America alone, ...
this week we're mad about ... moccasins: Softly softly approach
Apr 01, 2006; ... Have a Pocahontas moment in soft, comfy moccasins. They blazed atrail through the fashion scene a while ago and have become apermanent fixture on cosy, but chic, feet. Perfect for padding aroundin, they're like a trusty pair of slippers that you can ...
Restaurant review: Sygn: When it's good, it's very very good, but...
Apr 01, 2006; ... sygn 15 Charlotte Lane, Edinburgh (0131-225 6060) Alas, poor Bruno. I knew him. Not well, Horatio. Nor could heeasily be described as "a fellow of infinite jest", but he did wear aYorick's-skull pallor with infinite elan, and he presided over whatwas, in its heyday, ...
This weekend: Local folk
Apr 01, 2006; ... LIVING in the heart of Scotland's capital, a stone's throw fromthe parliament, one would expect to have reasonable reception ofnational radio and television stations. Unfortunately the BBC has decreed that residents in our part oftown are second-class licence-payers and must ...
health: Ticket to well-being and vitality
Apr 01, 2006; ... Billed as "the ultimate girls' day out", The Vitality Show inLondon gives visitors the chance to sample the best new beautytreatments, road-test the latest fitness products, and find outwhat's happening on the holistic health scene every year. And now wecan join in as well, as the show ...
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Apr 01, 2006; ... www.atomsclub.co.uk This appealing website for children was created by the ScottishScience Centres as part of their remit as charity run organisations.You have to sign up to enjoy yourself here, but it's a totally free,non-commercial site, and you won't receive e-mails unless you ...
Seasons in the sun
Apr 01, 2006; ... Perennials are the seasonal stars of the gardening world,traditionally injecting a vibrant burst of colour into borders whenthe time comes for them to flower. Yet, however much we look forward to them, perennials need to domore than just take centre stage for a few weeks every ...
Wit's end
Apr 01, 2006; ... SOMETIMES a chap just has to get out of the city. And where doeshe head? Why, to North Berwick by the sea, of course. It's funnybecause, once you've had the idea, the brain comes up with excusesnot to carry it out. "What's the point? You might as well just stayhere, save the money. What ...
Lonely at the top
Apr 01, 2006; ... Whipped by bitter winds scudding in off the North Sea, Scunthorpewas bitterly cold in winter, especially if you were a thin young girlwearing only a cotton Brownie uniform under your coat. Though thegrey skies threatened to let loose, Liz was determined to earnanother badge. All alone, ...
boutique of the week: TK Maxx
Apr 01, 2006; ... Why go there? With prices discounted by up to 60 per cent, TK Maxx embodies thepile 'em high, sell 'em cheap ethos. If you don't mind having a goodrummage then you could find the designer outfit you've dreamt of at arock-bottom price. Model Rachel Hunter is the ambassador of ...
My Stuff: Nick Crane, Geographer, cartographer, author and presenter
Apr 01, 2006; ... What's your mobile phone? I have an old smashed-up blue Nokia. What is your signature scent? I don't use aftershave but I like The Body Shop's deodorant. What brand of underwear do you favour? I wear my lucky Calvin Klein underwear, especially for ...
Rich harvest of country casuals
Apr 01, 2006; ... Return to Akenfield by Craig Taylor Granta Books, 288pp, GBP 14.99 Review by FORDYCE MAXWELL SEQUELS ARE NOT NECESsarily a good idea, particularly when adifferent author follows in the literary footsteps of a classic. ButCraig Taylor has managed it with what ...
Audio
Apr 01, 2006; ... BRIDESHEAD REVISITED BY EVELYN WAUGH CSA Word, GBP 12.99 WELCOME to the home of the decadent Lord Sebastian Flyte - neverseparated from his teddy-bear - and his equally decadent friends. Andwelcome to the ...
Burning Questions: Well that's Oscar season out of the way, then. Time for blockbuster season!
Apr 01, 2006; ... And what a depressing spectacle it looks like being - particularlyso this year. It feels like more of this spring and summer's big"event" movies than ever are sequels or remakes. Look at the filmseveryone seems most excited about: Mission Impossible 3; X-Men 3;Pirates of the Caribbean 2 ...
Books: Carmen and the conman
Apr 01, 2006; ... THERE IS A SIDE TO CARMEN CALLIL THAT NO- one at Virago, thehugely influential feminist publishing house she founded in 1972,could even begin to guess. Not her enemies (and she has many), whoremember her as a tantrum-throwing, domineering and manipulativeboss. Not even her admirers (and ...
Blood for Romero
Apr 01, 2006; ... THOUGH HE MADE HIS name as the creator of allegorical zombiemovies, in 1977 George A Romero attempted to reinvent the vampirefilm with a strange, creepy little movie entitled Martin. Just released on DVD (in a deluxe special edition), it's one ofthose curios that proves Romero has ...
Films: New Releases
Apr 01, 2006; ... Basic Instinct 2 (18) Sharon Stone reprises ice queen Catherine Tramell in long-delayedsequel to Paul Verhoeven's soft-porn thriller. Failure to Launch (12A) Achingly predictable romantic comedy that sees two narcissistic,immature emotional manipulators (Matthew ...
Going Out: If you do seven things this week
Apr 01, 2006; ... Edinburgh International Harp Festival Merchiston Castle School andother venues, Edinburgh, 7-12 April THE 25th Edinburgh International Harp Festival looks set to markits quarter-century with eclectic musical panache - with everythingfrom folk to classical, early music to West ...
First Things First
Apr 01, 2006; ... IS THE LOCKERBIE DISASTER A FIT SUBJECT FOR A THRILLER? YES, says Christ Petit, the novelist and avant-garde film directorwhose novel The Passenger - the first thriller to be based aroundwhatever happened to Flight 103 - is published this week. His justification is ...
Books: Grey days of Tudor treachery
Apr 01, 2006; ... Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir Hutchinson, 466pp, GBP 12.99 Review by ALLAN MASSIE I WAS ENTHRALLED AS A boy by Harrison Ainsworth's novel, The Towerof London, which tells of the Duke of Northumberland's attempt toprevent Mary Tudor from succeeding her ...
Recipe Of The Week: Daniel Craig
Apr 01, 2006; ... 1 dash serious actor 1 pair Speedos and Thunderballs (for filling) 1 personal trainer 1 slice Layer Cake with Casino Royale icing 2 teeth, separated 1 cup of broccoli and M&Ms To make Live and Let Pie, place serious ...
Radio: Witnesses to change
Apr 01, 2006; ... A PAKISTANI PRIEST IN Campbeltown, a Brazilian preaching in ruralPerthshire, a Kenyan ministering outside Asda ... The notion ofmissionaries converting the alleged heathen with a Bible in one handand Union Jack in the other has been turned mightily on its head, asAnna Magnusson discovers ...
Television New US hospital drama Grey's Anatomy finds itself a healthy niche between the intensity of ER and hilarity of Scrubs
Apr 01, 2006; ... NOT LONG INTO THE first episode of Grey's Anatomy (Thursday, Five,10pm), the familiar call of "code blue" rings out. The phrase isfamiliar to fans of any US medical drama. Code blue heralds a pointof high drama - a patient's life is on the line. What will our heroesdo to save the day? ...
Television: Terestial Highlights
Apr 01, 2006; ... STRICTLY DANCE FEVER BBC1, 7pm; 9:30pm GRAHAM Norton is back with the show which aims to find a non-celebrity duo to set the dance floor alight. Charmless judge JasonGardiner has been replaced by lovely Wayne Sleep for daring to dallywith ITV's Dancing on Ice but, drattit, ...
As you hike it
Apr 01, 2006; ... WHEN Sir Hugh Munro first published his 'Table of Heights' over3,000 Feet in the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal in 1891, hecould hardly have known that more than a century later, a wholeindustry would have built up around it. Munro didn't manage to climb all of them himself, ...
Simple strolls
Apr 01, 2006; ... I HAPPEN to be what you might call a worried walker. Tales ofhikers being caught out in the wrong kind of weather in the wrongkind of clothing strike fear into my heart - if not because of therisk to life and limb, then the embarrassment at having to berescued. Which is why most of the ...
Awards serve interests of all
Apr 01, 2006; ... SCOTLAND'S larder has always been a very rich one, with suchdelights as Aberdeen Angus beef, Highland venison, Loch Fyne seafood,Ayrshire cheeses and Clyde Valley soft fruits taking their rightfulplace on the menu. The wealth of choice and quality available when eating out ...
Crowning glories of a regal retreat
Apr 01, 2006; ... SOME of the best holidays are those that come by recommendation."I've been there three times, you'll love it," or "We go every year -wouldn't go anywhere else". What's good for one isn't necessarily good for another, of course,but when an area is given the seal of approval by a ...
On track for rail adventure
Apr 01, 2006; ... THERE are plenty of ways to travel for holidaymakers who want tosee the Highlands of Scotland - by car or bicycle, by coach or onfoot. But for a truly luxurious way to take in the hills and theglens, travelling by train on The Royal Scotsman takes some beating. Not to be confused ...
A brush with royalty
Apr 01, 2006; ... DEESIDE has long been associated with art and artists. The oldBridge of Dee near Banchory is possibly one of the most paintedbridges in the UK and, of course, HRH Prince Charles has been knownto take brush in hand and record various Balmoral scenes, with not alittle aplomb, according to ...
STEAM DREAM
Apr 01, 2006; ... ARRIVING in Fort William by car early on a spring morning, neithermy father nor I knew where the railway station was, but as we madeour loop of the town centre, the tell-tale whoosh of steam led us tothe station car park better than any road map. A few minutes later he had grabbed ...
No place like home for a holiday Forget far-off lands and never- ending journeys.
Apr 01, 2006; ... FOR those who could afford it, no education was complete duringthe 19th century without embarking on a grand tour of Europe.Originally undertaken by educated young men, and later by young womenwith a chaperone, the tour took in such centres of art and cultureas, essentially, Paris and ...
Islands of influence
Apr 01, 2006; ... STAND on the northernmost point of the Scottish mainland at DunnetHead in Caithness on a fair day, and the Orkney islands look almostclose enough to swim to. Not that they would want to try, of course,but those who travel the 111 miles north from Inverness to reach thispoint will find ...
Relax and get into the swing
Apr 01, 2006; ... TWO very different events with a hundred years between them serveas fair indicators of the mark that Ayrshire, and Prestwick inparticular, has left on Scotland. The first Open Championship was held over Prestwick Golf Course's12 holes in October of 1860, and a century later, on 3 ...
Few have reviewed
Apr 01, 2006; ... DESPITE the potential impact, most consumers have failed to reviewtheir retirement savings ahead of A-Day. Recent research carried outby Brewin Dolphin Securities found that 58 per cent of people with apension were not aware that the new rules could affect them, whilejust 32 per cent of ...
Aggreko wins Kenya and Yemen deals worth GBP 31.5m
Apr 01, 2006; ... AGGREKO, the international temporary power supplier, has announcedit will set up generation sites in Kenya and Yemen. The deals are worth dollars 55 million (GBP 31.5m), and come in ayear when the Glasgow-based company has already installed temporarypower plants in Uganda and ...
Holyrood strapped for an answer
Apr 01, 2006; ... AFTER nearly a month of sophisticated computer simulation andcomplicated calculations by architects, experts have produced theanswer to Holyrood's failing roof - cloth strapping. The strapping - similar to the kind used to keep coverings onlorries - will be wrapped round the beams ...
Barometer's gloom dents hopes of consumer recovery
Apr 01, 2006; ... HOPES for a consumer recovery this summer were put in furtherdoubt yesterday by fresh figures showing households becoming morepessimistic about both their personal finances and the economicoutlook. The monthly consumer confidence barometer from GfK NOP has fallenback to a ...
Needs To Know: Ferrovial refuses to rule out BAA bid
Apr 01, 2006; ... SPAIN'S Ferrovial said yesterday it was keeping all options openon whether to launch a takeover bid for airport operator BAA. The construction and services group, whose GBP 8.8bn takeover bidhas been rejected, said it was talking to shareholders. "We asked the BAA board for ...
Playwright boycotts Scots theatres over smoke ban by 'idiot' Executive
Apr 01, 2006; ... ONE of Scotland's leading playwrights will refuse to allow hisplays to be performed in Scotland because the characters cannot smokeon stage. John Byrne, author of the BAFTA-award winning comedy Tutti Frutti,claims the Scottish Executive smoking ban is a form of censorship ....
Cash Clinic: Don't dig yourself into a tax hole when building on garden
Apr 01, 2006; ... QI WOULD like to build a house on part of my garden. Should I doit in stages: first get planning permission and sell the ground atvaluation to my own company tax-free using private residence relief,then build and sell paying tax only on any building profit? LB, by e-mail ...
Hecklers tackle Rice over Iraq war
Apr 01, 2006; ... INVITING a colleague home for a social function always brings acertain anxiety. But few of us have to apologise that our valuedguest is faced with placard-waving protesters telling them to gohome. Yet that was precisely the situation that faced Jack Straw, theForeign Secretary, ...
DA wins 'Big Frank' deal with Ladbrokes
Apr 01, 2006; ... DA Group, the Glasgow-based animation company, has won a majorcontract with the world's largest bookmaker, Ladbrokes. Using its "alert.me" technology the deal will see "Big Frank",DA's virtual sports pundit, delivering web-based match reports onEnglish football on Ladrokes' ...
Woman's family hit out at 'menial' 16-year term for rape and murder
Apr 01, 2006; ... A TEENAGER was given a life sentence yesterday and ordered toserve at least 16 years for the "hideous" rape and murder of a womanattacked as she power-walked on a riverside path. The family of Farah Noor Adams, 34, of Glasgow, condemned whatthey termed the "menial" sentence given ...
Lucrative work draws Britons to Middle East
Apr 01, 2006; ... BRITISH workers have flocked to Bahrain to take advantage of theopportunities offered by the burgeoning Middle Eastern constructiontrade. According to Steve Harrison, the British charge d'affairs inBahrain, there are now between 7,000 and 8,000 Britons living in thecountry ....
Health check fees scrapped as over-60s ride for free
Apr 01, 2006; ... CHARGES for a swathe of public services are being abolished today,leading to free eye and dental checks for all and the launch of freenational bus travel for pensioners. Taxpayers will fund the GBP 200 million-a-year Executive moves,which will see the over-60s and disabled people ...
Rising fuel prices burning chance of economic upturn
Apr 01, 2006; ... SOARING energy bills threaten a slowdown across the economy thissummer, with new data showing households becoming more pessimisticabout their personal finances and the economic outlook. Energy bills have risen steeply in the past two years, withaverage annual gas bills now ...
Gaelic
Apr 01, 2006; ... FOR great writers there's always life after death. The late IainCrichton Smith's superb posthumous novel Am Miseanaraidh may be themost Christian thing he ever wrote but his metaphors are as taut asever. Also ...
Mathewson squashes talk of an RBS bid for Alliance & Leicester
Apr 01, 2006; ... OUTGOING Royal Bank chairman Sir George Mathewson closed the dooron market speculation about an RBS bid for Alliance &Leicesteryesterday saying: "We have a big personal loan business already. Wedon't believe that would be worth the price." In remarks at an International Institute ...
Step-by-step help to feathering your nest egg A new Scotsman guide will help novice and seasoned investors, writes JENNIFER HILL in the first of a three-part money series
Apr 01, 2006; ... WE ARE all faced with the responsibility of investing for ourfuture. But, many of us question whether our strategy is the rightone for our goals and personal circumstances. A new Scotsman guide,launched today, is here to help. The Scotsman Guide to Building anInvestment Portfolio takes ...
Hornby's pay jumps 20 per cent to GBP 1.3m
Apr 01, 2006; ... HBOS chief executive designate Andy Hornby saw his annual paypackage jump more than 20 per cent last year, despite the bankdelivering a lower increase in profits on the previous year. According to the bank's annual report published yesterday,Hornby's total package rose to almost ...
Support for ID cards does not add up
Apr 01, 2006; ... GOVERNMENT claims that Scotland is backing plans for a nationalidentity card are based on a survey of fewer than 200 people, TheScotsman can reveal. Following a Freedom of Information Act request, the Home Officehas admitted that its main poll of public opinion in Scotland used ...
England hooligans take the fly road
Apr 01, 2006; ... ENGLISH football hooligans planning to cause trouble at thissummer's World Cup in Germany will try to slip into the country overits eastern border with Poland, the German intelligence service hasdiscovered. The Home Office says police forces in Scotland and other parts ofBritain ...
Dyke consortium walks away from ITV takeover bid
Apr 01, 2006; ... GREG Dyke and the private equity consortium gunning for control ofbroadcasting giant ITV have scrapped their bid attempt, following asecond rejection from the company's board. The bidders had revised their earlier offer - tabled just over aweek ago - which proposed to buy 48 per ...
FSA is right to want consumers to smarten up Watchdog is right to act on shocking study
Apr 01, 2006; ... AT LAST: the City regulator has woken up and smelt the coffee.After months of warnings over the poor state of the nation's finances- in particular, our record debt mountain, built on the back of a"spend now, think later" mentality - and our poor financial literacy,the Financial Services ...
Financial ignorance has us facing a fall
Apr 01, 2006; ... AS A nation, we are teetering on the edge of an abyss: financialtragedy is nigh. For, 39 per cent of us admit to simply living fortoday without a thought for our financial future. Some 70 per cent have made no provision for a drop in income, evenalthough 28 per cent have ...
Five sites vie to be first marine park
Apr 01, 2006; ... FIVE of the most beautiful stretches of Scotland's coastline havebeen put forward as candidates for Europe's first marine nationalpark. The shortlist has been drawn up by Scottish Natural Heritage tohelp guide ministers in designating a park by 2008. SNH's report says the ...
Top earning QC will advise on legal aid
Apr 01, 2006; ... SCOTLAND'S top-earning legal aid QC has been appointed to the bodythat paid him more than GBP 300,000 last year. Paul McBride, who has represented a string of high-profilekillers, last year topped the list of criminal lawyers, earning GBP357,600 from legal aid. Yesterday ...
Is middle Britain on the verge of revolution?
Apr 01, 2006; ... BACK in 1992, when John Major had just succeeded - against theodds - in winning a fourth Conservative general election victory, Iremember asking an elderly member of my family whether she didn'tfeel like joining a demonstration in support of Scottish home rule. Alifelong Labour voter, ...
Melrose makes its first profit
Apr 01, 2006; ... MELROSE Resources, the Edinburgh-based oil and gas firm, swunginto profit for the first time last year and said it hoped growth ofLiquified Natural Gas (LNG) projects would boost future performance. The company - run by former directors of Cairn Energy - easeddollars 22.4 million ...
'Alien' mink are wiped out in cull on Western Isles
Apr 01, 2006; ... TRAPPERS yesterday ended a cull of mink in part of the WesternIsles after successfully wiping out the alien species which isthreatening internationally important birds. The population of American mink has now been eradicated from Northand South Uist and Benbecula, although the ...
First price list for NHS sets cost for 600 treatments
Apr 01, 2006; ... THE price of NHS operations was laid out yesterday as theExecutive published the Scottish National Tariff. The aim of the tariff - a list of almost 600 procedures and theircosts - is to improve hospitals' efficiency and financial management,say MSPs. They also hope it will ...
Scots the most upbeat about stock market
Apr 01, 2006; ... SCOTS are the most upbeat about the outlook for stock marketreturns this year, with 20 per cent more optimistic than in 2005 and32 per cent stating they are just as optimistic as they were a yearago, against 14 per cent and 31 per cent of the UK as a whole. Some 73 per cent of ...