The Scotsman back issues from December 2007:
Going Out: Scotland and Venice 2007
Dec 01, 2007; ... 2 VISUAL ART IN JUNE, IN SUNNY VENICE, six of Scotland's top youngcontemporary artists represented their country at the prestigiousBiennale. The good news is that anyone who didn't make it to see theshow in the spendour of its Venetian palazzo now needs to travel nofurther than ...
Going Out: Sons and Daughters
Dec 01, 2007; ... SOME BANDS JUST SEEM TO belong on stage together. From their early, intimidatingly confident gigs at venues such asStereo in Glasgow, or supporting Franz Ferdinand,David Gow, AdeleBethel, Ailidh Lennon and Scott Paterson have not only looked likethe kind of glamorous gang you wish ...
Going Out: Art and Identity
Dec 01, 2007; ... VISUAL ART THIS YEAR IS THE 100TH anniversary of Edvard Grieg's death. Thisnew exhibition, a collaboration between the Royal NorwegianConsulate General in Edinburgh, the Edvard Grieg Museum in Bergenand Marischal Museum in Aberdeen, celebrates both the composer'scentenary and his ...
Going Out: Manic Street Preachers
Dec 01, 2007; ... AT THE RECENT Q AWARDS, the Manic Street Preachers were onceagain hinting that they would soon disappear and return havingreinvented themselves - and having, by implication, rediscoveredsomething resembling the creative fire of their youth. There can't be many fans who still think ...
Going Out: Burlescapades
Dec 01, 2007; ... CABARET NEW EDINBURGH VENUE THE Voodoo Rooms has given a much-needed shotin the arm to the capital's grassroots clubbing and live musicscene. In a few weeks Vegas will host its Christmas party there, andthis month also offers gigs by local heroes Aberfeldy, TheMagnificents ...
Going Out: Southland Tales
Dec 01, 2007; ... DONNIE DARKO IS A MUCH admired cult film now, but it took a whileto find an audience, its original cinema release hampered partly byits eerie echoes of 11 September, and partly by the fact that manypeople struggled to get their heads around director Richard Kelly's enigmatic hybrid ...
Best Buys: A bit of sparkle
Dec 01, 2007; ... This beautiful Greek jewellery shop is having a party on Thursday6 December, and you don't even have to wear a toga. Get along andsample free mince pies and mulled wine, while you browse the ranges.They've got loads of new lines, including Swarovski crystal twistedheart pendants, and a ...
Children's activities: Be enchanted by a real fairy-tale castle
Dec 01, 2007 ... Culzean Castle in South Ayrshire will be transformed tomorrow,with a different childhood tale being brought to life in every roomfrom 11am. Dance with Cinderella or have tea with the Mad Hatter.GBP 7/GBP 5. Tel: 01655 884400 or visit www.culzeanexperience.org/events.asp ...
Dress sense: My life in clothes: Carol Smillie
Dec 01, 2007; ... What was your favourite childhood outfit? I had a tomato-red dress with white frilly bib when I was six-years-old. It was a hand me down from my sister. What were you wearing when you met your present partner? I can't remember, I was too focused on what he was wearing ....
What to buy now ... winter coats: Coats of many colours
Dec 01, 2007; ... Now that the wind chill factor is preventing you from venturingout of the house, it's time to get rid of all those three-quarter-length-sleeved jackets you wore in the autumn and invest in a goodwool coat, ...
Late deals
Dec 01, 2007 ... A spa-off land Travel from Stranraer to Belfast from GBP 139pp when you book by20 December, including return Stena HSS travel by rail or car, bedand full Irish breakfast at the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa and oneevening meal. There's free travel and accommodation for one ...
Knights at the opera
Dec 01, 2007; ... Take four good-looking guys with great voices, have them sing popsongs with an operatic lilt and watch the money roll in ... andfemale hearts melt. But are Il Divo in harmony offstage as well ason? Three years ago, four Armani-clad gods from the planet Fake Bakelaunched a new ...
Everglades for ever
Dec 01, 2007; ... SEE, there are two Floridas," drawls the man behind the till atBillie Swamp Safari, in the depths of the Everglades. "There'sOrlando and Disney, all that plastic stuff. And there's down here,this is the real Florida." In a manner of speaking, he's right. The Everglades are ...
Beauty: The eyes have it
Dec 01, 2007 ... The trick with Christmas beauty is to inject a bit of sparkle inall the right places. Glitter is for little girls, for sophisticatedparty women it should be all about gleam and shimmer. Which is whereGuerlain's limited-edition Golden Lash Gel comes in. Designed as ...
Hooked on Holland
Dec 01, 2007; ... IT TOOK less than an hour to realise that we had arrived in oneof the world's great cities. The stroll through Schiphol airport tothe connecting train station was pleasure enough, but when wedisgorged from the double-decker train - why do we not have these? -into Centraal Station it was ...
Man of the Moment: My garden fantasy is just three steppes from heaven
Dec 01, 2007; ... WANTED: Stakhan- ovite young Ukrainian farm girls with happy,smiling faces, spades and hoes at the ready and a balalaika over theshoulder for the occasional song. In my dreams they are lined up and ready for unleashing on to thegarden at Inverogle. The work is light, but of an ...
Restaurant review: Whitehouse Restaurant: It may be slow to cook, you'll be quick to praise
Dec 01, 2007; ... WHITEHOUSE RESTAURANT Lochaline, Argyll (01967 421777) THE Bill Dinner per head, about GBP 29, excluding drinks Slow food is not a particular method of cooking but a grassrootsmovement to encourage the survival of real food and eating incompany. It's ...
Website of the Week: Sew worthwhile
Dec 01, 2007; ... www.finecellwork.co.uk This registered charity enlists volunteers from the EmbroiderersGuild, the Royal School of Needlework and the design world to teachneedlework to prison inmates, and then sells the products on theirbehalf. According to the manifesto, "prisoners do the work ...
Practical magic
Dec 01, 2007; ... Inspired design has given us everything from the paperclip to theiPod. Now two giants of the business celebrate their heroes of formand function Many books claim to be definitive guides but, in reality, feware. The authentic ones are those put together by experts in theirfield, ...
Mountain high
Dec 01, 2007; ... When champion runner Angela Mudge gives people a rub-down in herday job as a sports masseur at The Running Company in Bridge ofAllan, you wonder if her customers are aware of the fact that she'snot your ordinary therapist. The hill and fell runner has won numerous titles, ...
Fitness: Race to the aisle
Dec 01, 2007 ... While all most of us can think about as the nights draw in ishibernating for winter, sadly brides-to-be do not have that luxury.That all-important diet for the dress can start months before thenuptials meaning that next summer's brides are facing a lean andmean festive season ....
Scotch myth
Dec 01, 2007; ... THE barman sucked his teeth and said: "You have to watch out forthe unicorn stags at this time of year." My travelling companion andI looked at each other. It was the evening before our trip to Jurafor an afternoon of whisky tasting and we were ensconced in the barof the Port Askaig ...
What matters to me: Nieve Jennings
Dec 01, 2007; ... Nieve Jennings, Beauty queen and actress What's the best bit on your personality CV? Spontaneity and a good sense of humour. I live for the moment anddon't believe in taking myself too seriously. And the worst? I'm super organised. To the point where it drives ...
My seven secrets of survival: Nikki Spaulding
Dec 01, 2007; ... Nikki Spaulding, business development manager 1 I hate when people say things like "work-life-balance" - it'sjust an oxymoron. There's no such thing. There's just an exhaustingstruggle to find a way to enjoy work, life and family not to mentiontaking into account healthy eating, ...
Two worlds of hope
Dec 01, 2007; ... Today marks 20 years of World AIDS Day. In that time there havebeen many improvements in understanding and treatment of thecondition, but there's still a long way to go. Alice Wyllie talks tothose living and working with AIDS in Africa and Scotland to findout the reality of life with HIV ...
More than one in three concerned about economy
Dec 01, 2007; ... F IVE interest rate hikes since August last year, a worldwidecredit crunch and general market uncertainty - no wonder more thanone in three people in the UK are concerned about the economicsituation in Britain. More than 15 million people feel financially worse off today, ...
Broker Snaps
Dec 01, 2007 ... BSkyB 625p -9.5p Broker says SELL SATELLITE TV provider BSkyB was easier yesterday after GoldmanSachs cut the shares to "sell" from "neutral" and reduced itsaverage revenue per user, net additions and advertising growthassumptions for the group. The broker also lowered its ...
Cash Clinic: More tax returns and fewer staff: blunders inevitable
Dec 01, 2007 ... Q AS A UK taxpayer who receives child allowance I have beenshocked by the loss of data. Is this a one-off event - what are thechances of something major happening again? -DW, St Andrews AThe picture doesn't look good. More mistakes such as the loss of25 million child ...
Watchdog calls for good design to be put before quick profit
Dec 01, 2007; ... SCOTLAND is having to tolerate poor-quality building design inthe pursuit of profit, the country's design and planning watchdogclaimed yesterday. Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS), a governmentorganisation which campaigns for excellence in the builtenvironment, chose St ...
Slurry regulations dampen satisfaction over farm payments
Dec 01, 2007; ... NO TWO days are ever quite the same in politics, and that isequally true in the farming world. On Thursday the good news was that the Scottish Government wasset to pay out 90 per cent of the claims for the single farm paymentbefore the end of this month. That equates to at least ...
Fund in Focus: Trojan Income Fund: Troy's Trojan fund aims to minimise downside risks
Dec 01, 2007; ... TROY Asset Management's Trojan Income Fund is equity biased andaims to provide growing levels of income in excess of that offeredby the UK equity market. The size of the fund is around GBP 56 million and it has achievedtotal return since launch three years ago of 45 per cent ....
Business Gazetteer
Dec 01, 2007 ... PRESENTS AND PRESSURES How to avoid the next three weeks of'Christmas stress' SOME timely advice on festive shopping from the Stress ManagementSociety (www.stress.org.uk). It highlights research by Greenwich University in London, whichsuggests that the first Saturday in ...
Investor mood at all-time low
Dec 01, 2007 ... PRIVATE investors' confidence in the savings and investmentmarket has fallen substantially, with the popularity of stocks andshares hitting an all-time low. Standard Life's latest Savings and Investment Index revealed theoverall score for confidence plummeted to 11 from 20 in the ...
Investment Club: When you are hanging off a mountain, do you cut the rope?
Dec 01, 2007; ... A CRISIS on the financial Siula Grande for the Investment Clublast month as our Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) shares plungedthrough their support at 500p into an investment crevasse. I, like Simon Yates, as his great friend Joe Simpson hung 300feet below him in Touching the Void ...
'Tis the season to make your tax-efficient savings choices
Dec 01, 2007; ... WITH the festive season fast approaching, the "ISA season" maynot be a top priority for many people, but savings decisions madenow can ensure you do not miss out on your tax-free allowance. The months of March and April have traditionally been known asthe individual savings ...
Daredevil motorcyclist Evel Knievel dies at the age of 69
Dec 01, 2007; ... EVEL Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil whose jumps over buses,live sharks and Idaho's Snake River Canyon made him an internationalicon in the 1970s died yesterday aged 69. Knievel's death was confirmed by his grand-daughter, KrystenKnievel. He had been in failing health for years, ...
Bombshell for Labour on illegal donations
Dec 01, 2007; ... WENDY Alexander was facing a police investigation into hercampaign finances last night after it emerged that she had written apersonal thank-you letter to a businessman for an illegal donation. The Scottish Labour leader disclosed this week that members ofher campaign team had ...
Leader: Alexander's message is lost in funding fiasco
Dec 01, 2007 ... TO MAKE one mistake regarding political funding might beconsidered an accident. But to make two such mistakes smacks ofserial incompetence - if not something worse. Charles Gordon, LabourMSP for Cathcart, has admitted that he solicited campaign funds forthe Holyrood election last May ...
Senseless safeguards ruin that special element of surprise
Dec 01, 2007; ... CATALOGUE shopping is one of my favourite pastimes, so I wasthrilled to get my hands on the latest programme from the Filmhouse,listing all the cinematic treats in store over the holiday period. Iwas less thrilled by the inclusion, alongside the film ratings, ofthose pesky warnings that ...
Cost of arranging a mortgage soars 100 per cent
Dec 01, 2007; ... THE latest Moneyfacts.co.uk research reveals the average mortgagearrangement fee has almost doubled during the past two years. Figures from November 2005 showed an average flat arrangement feeat GBP 441. It now stands at GBP 827, with a massive 9 per cent ofprime deals now ...
Motorcycle daredevil Knievel dies at the age of 69
Dec 01, 2007; ... EVEL Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil whose exploits made him aninternational icon in the 1970s, died last night aged 69. Knievel was best known for a failed 1974 attempt to jump SnakeRiver Canyon in Idaho on a rocket-powered bike and a spectacularcrash at Caesar's Palace in Las ...
JC Flowers frustrated by Treasury silence on Rock bid
Dec 01, 2007; ... A LEADING potential rival bidder to the Virgin consortium forNorthern Rock is understood to be deeply frustrated about theTreasury's stalling on talks about an improved offer. It is understood JC Flowers has addressed two concerns thegovernment had with its initial proposal, one ...
Sgt Eros performance was quite arresting
Dec 01, 2007; ... A YOUNG blonde policewoman smiled broadly in court yesterday asshe identified the male stripper she mistakenly believed was agenuine police officer. Constable Fiona Duncan told Aberdeen Sheriff Court she wasdumbfounded when the man dressed in a police uniform, standingoutside a ...
GBP 5m to go up, now GBP 1m to come down
Dec 01, 2007; ... THEY were built at a cost of GBP 5 million and caused months oftraffic disruption to motorists. Now, little more than a year later, a further GBP 1 million willbe spent tearing the Forth Road Bridge's hi-tech toll booths downagain. Yesterday, it was revealed the project ...
Woman who shook baby in frustration spared jail sentence
Dec 01, 2007; ... A WOMAN who twice shook a friend's baby in frustration, leavinghim critically ill, was spared a jail term yesterday. Amanda Lyttel, 32, had been doing the infant's parents a favourby looking after him, but she struggled to cope with caring for himand her own two young sons, and ...
Wage inflations driven higher
Dec 01, 2007 ... INFLATION-BUSTING pay deals in the motor industry pushed UK wageinflation to 3.5 per cent in the three months to November, a surveyby pay consultants IDS yesterday revealed. The rise, from a one-year low of 3.2 per cent in the three monthsto October, was also affected by ...
Money Matters: Bond will never go below base rate
Dec 01, 2007 ... DUNFERMLINE Building Society has introduced Guaranteed 30, a bondpaying at least the Bank of England base rate until 31 January 2013. The bond, which has a maximum investment of GBP 1 million,currently pays 6.5 per cent - 0.75 per cent over the present baserate of ...
Money Matters: Net profit
Dec 01, 2007 ... APACS, the UK payments association, has revealed that Christmasshoppers are expected to spend more than GBP 5 billion online thisDecember, with this weekend and Monday likely to be the busiestdays. To help protect cardholders from fraud ...
Money Matters: National Savings cuts its interest
Dec 01, 2007 ... NATIONAL Savings & Investments has slashed the rates it pays tonew savers taking out its fixed rate deals - the second cut in twomonths. The rates on the latest versions of its Pensioners GuaranteedIncome Bonds, Fixed Rate Savings Bonds, Fixed Interest SavingsCertificates, ...
RBG rides the bubbling North Sea wave
Dec 01, 2007; ... RBG, the Aberdeen-based oil and gas services contractor, hascashed in on the booming energy market with a surge in full-yearsales and profits. Newly released accounts for the group reveal a 37 per centincrease in turnover to GBP 226.6 million during the year to 31December 2006 ....
Hoare Govett to stay under new RBS roof
Dec 01, 2007; ... ROYAL Bank of Scotland confirmed yesterday that it would willkeep Hoare Govett, the British corporate broking business itacquired as part of the RBS-consortium's takeover of ABN Amro. RBS said the broker would increase the equities business of theScottish bank's mainly ...
Giant pylons are risk to health and should be buried, says MSP
Dec 01, 2007; ... CONTROVERSIAL proposals to erect a line of giant pylons throughScotland should be rejected, as possible health risks would outweighthe potential gains, according to an MSP. Keith Brown, the SNP representative for Ochil, said he isconcerned the proposal "runs roughshod over all ...
Rumour of the Day: Teething problems for BP in Texas
Dec 01, 2007 ... BP began preparations to start producing petrol at its Texas Cityrefinery yesterday and is expected to be back to full capacity overthe weekend. "They are preparing for the start-up. They will probably attemptto get to full capacity by the weekend,"a source added. The unit, ...
SNP leader scorns anti-English sentiment as 'pathetic'
Dec 01, 2007; ... ALEX Salmond, the First Minister, yesterday used the first StAndrew's Day under an SNP administration to declare himself "thebiggest anglophile in Scottish politics". He also condemned those Scottish patriots who position themselvesin direct opposition to England, describing such ...
New owners say Boots beating forecasts
Dec 01, 2007 ... THE new owners of Boots, Stefano Pessina and private equity firmKohlberg Kravis Roberts, yesterday said the group was trading wellahead of expectations after being taken private for GBP 11.1 billionin July. Before the deal - the first private equity takeover of a FTSE-100 ...
Savings Tip
Dec 01, 2007 ... BY SWITCHING gas and electricity suppliers, you could not onlysave money on your bills, but you could also receive a cash paymentor free gift. Switch to dual ...
Scots Stocks: Broadcaster SMG sheds 20 per cent despite news of progress on finances
Dec 01, 2007 ... BROADCASTER SMG was a major faller yesterday despite announcingit had made arrangements to help sort out its finances. The shares closed 3.25p lower at 12.5p, a loss of about 20 percent. Royal Bank of Scotland forged ahead amid improved sentiment forfinancial stocks and ...
Scrutineer: Markets like calm waters
Dec 01, 2007; ... Utd Utilities 754p +18p AMID the current volatility, financial investors arerediscovering the joys of sectors that do what they say on the tin.Defensive sectors are fashionable again. They are likely to be moreso in 2008 if the economic slowdown virtually everyone is ...
Scots turn out to be Christmas's big spenders
Dec 01, 2007; ... SCOTS have a reputation for being miserable and bah humbug whenit comes to Christmas, but this is a myth, according to a new surveyby Abbey. The high street bank has compiled a list revealing who isspending what at Christmas. Abbey's Gift Etiquette guide shows Scotsas the ...
Small But Beautiful: Creston on the crest of a wave as profits rise
Dec 01, 2007 ... MARKETING services firm Creston toasted an 18 per cent rise inhalf-year pre-tax profits yesterday and said new business wins,products and services gave it a solid foundation for the secondhalf. Pre-tax profits for the six months to 30 September jumped to GBP5.8 million from GBP ...
SMG shores up its finances with GBP 90m HBOS loan
Dec 01, 2007 ... DEBT-LADEN broadcaster SMG moved closer to overhauling itsfinances yesterday, unveiling a new five-year GBP 90 million loanfacility with HBOS. SMG, which is currently looking to sell Virgin Radio, said in astatement that it expected an already-announced GBP 95 millionrights ...
Confidence dips, putting rates call on knife-edge
Dec 01, 2007; ... THE Bank of England is facing the year's toughest call oninterest rates, after a further fall in consumer confidence stokedfears of a sharp slowdown in the UK economy. Despite mounting evidence that the credit crunch and rises infuel and mortgage bills are taking their toll, the ...
Woman's dentures embedded in her mouth
Dec 01, 2007; ... THE family of an elderly woman whose dentures had to besurgically removed from her mouth yesterday spoke of their anger atthe care home supposed to be looking after her. Betty McGaw, 87, died eight weeks after three surgeons had toprise out her dentures which had been left in by ...
Failure to recognise Scots law another HMRC blunder
Dec 01, 2007; ... SCOTLAND could face less Draconian HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)action than the rest of the UK when it comes to tax collection from"persistent defaulters" because of differences in the legal systems. But some Scottish experts are not aware a consultation issued byHMRC in June, ...
Shoppers defy efforts to consign the humble cheque to history
Dec 01, 2007; ... SCOTS are still big users of cheques, many choosing them overelectronic methods of paying, according to a new survey, defyingsome retailers' efforts to consign cheques to history. Research shows 60 per cent of the Scottish public do not want tosee cheques replaced by an electronic ...