The Sunday Herald back issues from October 2004:
Caution is the key when turning your home into a source of cash;Teresa Hunter takes a look at equity release mortgages and the effect the Safe Home Income Plan scheme will have on those who opt to free up their assets
Oct 03, 2004; ... AS soaring house prices have left many Scots asset rich but cashpoor, releasing cash from your property can seem attractive to thoseliving on meagre pensions. For this reason, equity release mortgages had proved popular overrecent years, until the threat of a tough new regulatory ...
Crashing bores could yet trip up the housing market; Real price adjustments in the housing sector are nothing new, so why are so many commentators predicting the worst, asks Teresa Hunter
Oct 03, 2004; ... IN a couple of days the Halifax will publish its latest houseprice index which is expected to confirm a slowdown in the propertymarket, after August's price fall of 0.6%. On Thursday, the Nationwide, reported a September rise of just0.2%. Taken over three months, Britain's biggest ...
Money week
Oct 03, 2004; ... BAD NEWS of the week POOR customer service could be costing UK shoppers almost (pounds)14 billion annually. According to research conducted for firstdirect, bad service across a range of sectors wastes an average of 23minutes a week. Valued as potential loss of earnings, this ...
Obesity concerns reshaping food industry
Oct 03, 2004; ... CONSUMER concerns over the rising incidence of obesity are drivinga major wave of change in the Scottish food and drinks industry. Food ingredients manufacturer Macphie of Glenbervie will launch ahealthy eating range of its own-branded products next spring that islikely to include ...
Row looms as Diageo orders another round of 'pure malt'
Oct 03, 2004; ... DIAGEO, the world's largest drinks company, believes it can avoida repeat of last year's Cardhu Pure Malt debacle despite the majorworldwide launch this month of another "pure malt" Scotch whisky. The company is seeking to fuel sales of the fast-growing maltscategory with the ...
NEW MODEL ARMY WEBSITE SEES ORDERS MARCH UPWARDS
Oct 03, 2004 ... Bosses at Port Glasgow-based Accurate Armour are celebrating a100% increase in online orders after Paisley-based IRW solutions, runby Ian Warnock, left, designed a new website, ...
Emap broadcasts its success to City
Oct 03, 2004 ... While the Capital/GWR merger received most radio headlines lastweek, Emap was like a cat that opened an eye long enough to purr itsimproving results to the City and slide its paw further along SRH'stail. Gary Hughes, Emap's finance director, admitted its radio brandsplus SRH ...
BUSINESS DIARY; A few morsels from the great and not so good
Oct 03, 2004 ... Thongs and gongs for TFF TESSA Hartmann, managing director of marketing and PR group TFFAgency, is celebrating a triple triumph. Not only has her company'sSo Stobo communications campaign for Stobo Castle Health Spa beenshortlisted for a Pride Award in the consumer media category ...
Business bodies must evolve or face extinction
Oct 03, 2004 ... How many business groups does it take to change a lightbulb? InScotland, apparently at least a dozen. The country is awash with organisations all purporting to beabsolutely crucial to the development and promotion of a healthybusiness community. There are those that lobby ...
Funding plans do not bode well for SE's future
Oct 03, 2004; ... THE morning after Scotland's finance minister Andy Kerr unveiledthe Executive's latest spending plans through to 2007/08, another(pounds) 86 billion over three years towards "building a betterScotland", I listened to Sir John Ward, the new chairman of ScottishEnterprise, deliver the ...
Dairy scandal churns up more questions
Oct 03, 2004; ... THE problem about being embroiled in a financial scandal is thatit can seriously interfere with your life. Just ask the 17 people,involved with mega dairy company Parmalat in one senior capacity orother, whose last week was overshadowed with the news that theirassets were being frozen ....
Direct action required by Executive says DMA
Oct 03, 2004; ... THE Scottish Executive should provide dedicated funding for skillstraining for the Scottish direct marketing community, according tothe industry's association. David Metcalfe, chairman of the Direct Marketing AssociationScotland, said: "We really need to make sure that the ...
Alliance Trusts puts faith in bonds
Oct 03, 2004 ... THE Dundee-based firm Alliance Trusts are to boost their exposureto the bond markets with the appointment of a fixed-interestspecialist as they place greater emphasis on generating an "absolutereturn" for their investors. The company, led by chief executive Alan Harden who joined ...
IT firm sets up London office as corporate investment booms
Oct 03, 2004 ... IT firm Eclectic is set to open a London office after seeing asurge of business from major corporates investing in its computersoftware training, recruitment and business intelligence services. The Glasgow company plans to hire a big hitter to lead a team offive in the capital ....
First class offices at former GPO
Oct 03, 2004 ... SCOTTISH Development International is helping to promoteCastlemore's 203,000sqft Waverley Gate office development inEdinburgh as a location for overseas financial servicesorganisations. A redevelopment of Edinburgh's former GPO, Waverley Gate is theonly office building of its ...
Housebuilder Miller to move home
Oct 03, 2004 ... MILLER Group, the UK's largest privately owned housebuilder andproperty developer, is vacating the Edinburgh headquarters it builtfor itself in the former Craigleith quarry to make way for moreretail space. The company is this week expected to acquire the A4 Building,designed by ...
Television indies set fair for Cannes
Oct 03, 2004; ... THE Comedy Unit, Tern Television and Red Kite are among 10Scottish TV production and animation companies that will showcase atthe international television conference MIPCOM in Cannes. The Scottish contingent will be led by Scottish Media Group, BBCScotland and Scottish Development ...
Jaw saver in (pounds) 15m US tie-up; Zygomatics reaps benefits of pioneering American deal
Oct 03, 2004; ... A SCOTTISH company has sold a device for holding broken jawstogether to the US medical giant Synthes-Stratec in a deal that couldbe worth as much as (pounds) 15 million. Zygomatics's sale of its Rapid IVF device was agreed late lastThursday night, seven years after founder and ...
Scotland looks to repeat triumph at E&Y awards
Oct 03, 2004; ... Scotland is being tipped to repeat its success in the UK Ernst &Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards in London tomorrow evening. It is hoped that the Scottish award winners will emulate thesuccess of those last year when Scots triumphed in five of the 10 UKaward categories. It ...
Chance to master social enterprise
Oct 03, 2004 ... A two-day class on how to build or expand a social enterprise inScotland is being held this week. Jerr Boschee, from the US, who is recognised as one of thefounders of the worldwide social enterprise movement, is the keynotespeaker at the event being held in Renfrew. Social ...
Coming up this week
Oct 03, 2004 ... The Equal Opportunties Commission Gender & Business ...
Return of the 21st century boy; Paul Reynolds, the man behind BT Wholesale'smassive shake-up which will see it shift its entirenetwork to an internet-based system in a (pounds) 3bn a yearrestructuring programme, speaks to Julia Fields
Oct 03, 2004; ... PAUL Reynolds is slightly nostalgic about being on his oldstomping ground again. "This used to be my office," he says,surveying the sparsely-furnished room set aside for our meeting."That wall wasn't there though. It was definitely bigger." It wasn't so long ago that Reynolds - a ...
Tips to deal with sick-note bill
Oct 03, 2004; ... EMPLOYERS should seek out the hidden causes of long-term andregular sickness absences, according to employment law partner EmmaBell, at solicitors McRoberts. This is central in seeking to diagnose and prescribe a cure forwhat is a chronic malaise in many workplaces. Bell will be ...
ESCHEWING THE FAT; As US food guru Sylvia Rowe warns firms they can no longer afford to ignore calls for 'healthier' food, Julia Fields asks, will aiming for a thinner nation mean leaner profits for the heavyweight fast food and confectionery firms, or can they still balance the books by offering low-fat, low-salt,high-taste options that will sell?
Oct 03, 2004; ... STANDING in front of a crowded room at the Scottish Food and DrinkConference, Sylvia Rowe had one message for manufacturers: the voicesof opinion leaders and the consumer cannot be ignored. And from herpresidential perch at the International Food Information Council inWashington DC, it ...
Coutts no threat to Adam & Co, insists RBS head
Oct 03, 2004; ... EVER since The Royal Bank of Scotland acquired Coutts & Co as partof its NatWest takeover four years ago, there has been speculationthat the bank's Edinburgh-based Adam & Company subsidiary might bemerged with, or lose out to, its larger English rival. This is despite the fact ...
In pursuit of success on a silver platter; Despite a drive by high street banks to corner the market in financial advice to the rich, independents still rule. By Ian Fraser
Oct 03, 2004; ... IT seems like a no-brainer. Private banking, meaning looking afterthe banking and investment needs of Britain's growing ranks ofwealthier customers, has long fascinated the UK's high street banks. If the banks can somehow persuade their rich clientele to switchto a more ...
Joined-up thinking time for clubs; More accountability, doubts about their benefits and the strength of some plcs are all undermining Scotland's business groups. By Valerie Darroch
Oct 03, 2004; ... GROUCHO Marx once declared: "I don't want to belong to any clubthat will have me as a member." Such frivolity would not go down well with Scotland's businessclubs and organisations, several of which are facing the toughchallenge of declining subscription revenues, prompting a ...
Scottish whispers as heads roll at STV
Oct 03, 2004 ... WHEN the heads of senior journalists are seen rolling down thecorridors of media companies, tongues soon start wagging over howthey came to be separated from their bodies. One whisper is that former Scottish TV news head Paul McKinney hada run-in with STV management over the ...
The Media Shop boss attacks SMG's package-deal selling
Oct 03, 2004; ... SCOTTISH Media Group is missing out by marketing its advertisingrange as package deals, according to the boss of a leadingindependent media-buying agency. Last September, SMG launched its Access initiative to offertailored ad packages to clients using its various media ...
Burning question: is the media a weapon of war?; The lingering fate of the hostage Kenneth Bigley has dominated recent news reports. Despite criticisms that the headlines are promoting the fundamentalists' agenda, last week's footage of Bigley's second plea to Tony Blair saw some of the most emotionally charged coverage so far. Steven Vass asked news editors how they handled the dilemma
Oct 03, 2004; ... Martin Newland, Editor, Daily Telegraph The Daily Telegraph hasfeatured the story a number of times on its front page, and hascarried some additional pieces and comment further in. Although itran Bigley's "Please help me Mr Blair" statement as its page oneheadline on Thursday, September ...
Getting to grips with a slippery slope; Cairn Gorm hills are a Mecca for skiers but they also have much to offer walkers; CAMERON McNEISH PEAK PRACTICE
Oct 03, 2004; ... Bulldozed tracks, snow fencing and a funicular train may haverobbed the Munro of Cairn Gorm of its natural charm but it is stillpossible to climb the hill and avoid the excesses of man'sdevastating handiwork. A couple of miles north-east of Cairn Gorm lies Bynack More, ahill I ...
Love in a cold climate; Chilly autumn days call for the softest winter knits. And this season Pringle falls head over heels in love with its Scottish heritage with the aptly named Highland Fling collection
Oct 03, 2004; ... Above: Navy cotton hooded parka, (pounds) 295; grey and orangelion motif sweater, (pounds) 115; extra long chunky knit fringedscarf, (pounds) 125; navy cotton denims, (pounds) 95 Previous page:Jane: Black cashmere wool coat, (pounds) 650; Jonny: Grey striped andlion patterned lambswool ...
Having a flakey; Juicy chunks of white fish or handfuls of shellfish need little more than a fine olive oil, fresh lemon juice and a couple of minutes' cooking to become something really spectacular
Oct 03, 2004; ... STILL celebrating Seafood Week in style, today we bring you chefMitchell Tonks to show you just how easy it really is to prepare andcook seafood. This week spaghetti with clams, hake with garlic andmonkfish with rosemary, three wonderful fish dishes exemplifyingsimple flavours from a ...
Soup of the week with John McFarlane at The Insch Connection Museum
Oct 03, 2004; ... Roasted sweet pepper soup This lovely red soup makes an excellentfirst course of a dinner party. It will delight your guests with itssweet caramel flavours. - large sweet peppers, halved lengthways and deseeded 30g ofbutter 2 shallots, peeled and chopped 3 cloves of garlic, ...
Gorgeous lip gloss
Oct 03, 2004; ... As the autumn rolls in, it's time to swap your summery lip glossesfor the sophisticated glamour of the red lipstick. Bold, sexy andenticing, red lips are the ultimate in glamour and you'll soon seethat nothing sets off a pussycat bow quite as well Practise your poutwith MAC's Ruby Woo ...
Deals of the week
Oct 03, 2004 ... under (pounds) 800 Flight-only with Emirates Airlines from Glasgowto Brisbane or Melbourne via Dubai, with Singapore as an option,(pounds) 709 including tax until December 9. Call The Flight Bureauon 0845 45 66 359 or check www.thinkflights.com under (pounds) 700Spend New Year in Las ...
firstword
Oct 03, 2004; ... IHAVE always resisted the idea that Gordon Brown is some kind ofbroodingly sexy Heathcliff-type character. I know that posh bint whoedits The Erotic Review thinks this is the case, and in fact said soin this paper, but I could never quite see it myself. Posh Englishbints look at any man ...
Most wanted
Oct 03, 2004; ... October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and to highlight thecampaign, Ralph Lauren is introducing its Pink Pony Candle, (pounds)35, available from the Ralph Lauren store on Glasgow's Ingram Street.(pounds) 3.50 from each candle sold will go to the Pink Pony Fund ofthe Polo Ralph ...
Babylon by bus; In the first of a series of essays on the American election, Iain Macwhirter takes a journey by Greyhound through the disenfranchised US heartland to meet the nation's true silent majority
Oct 03, 2004; ... IT was late. In America, public transport always is - even thetransit bus to the Democratic National Convention in Boston, whichhad no right to be. It's extraordinary that this country of fastfood, fast cars and faster computers is incapable of keeping up withbus and train timetables. I ...
WAR baby; For Zinnie Harris, having a baby brought home the reality of war with alarming intensity. The result was a soul-searching play
Oct 03, 2004; ... Becoming a parent is a pretty frightening business at the best oftimes. When war is in the air - as it almost always is - that feartakes on a whole new dimension. Two years ago, when Zinnie Harrisbegan work in earnest on her new play Midwinter, her first son wasseven months old ....
CALM DOWN DEAR; it's only a commercial. And anyway, film director Michael Winner, the man we most love to hate, only ever gets worked up over girls
Oct 03, 2004; ... She leads me into the house and through a series of darkenedcorridors whose walls are crowded with original works by famedchildren's illustrator Arthur Rackham. I catch a glimpse of aFilipino housemaid before being ushered into a well-lit room - aprivate cinema with a screen at one end, ...
7; the political and cultural week ahead
Oct 03, 2004 ... TODAY A pre-baby, pre-killer-cleavage Gwyneth Paltrow, above, co-stars with Jude Law and Angelina Jolie in this weekend's big cinemarelease Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow (film reviews: pages 30-31). Inspired by 1940s sci-fi movies, it's the first live actionmovie ever made ...
Literature hotels plan greeted by poor reviews
Oct 03, 2004; ... A VisitScotland plan to boost Scottish publishing and tourism bycreating "literature hotels" has been criticised by the hotelier wholed the idea of putting books in bedrooms. Arts and Business Scotland, working with VisitScotland, wantshotel guests to be able to sample Scottish ...
the week GONE BY
Oct 03, 2004 ... 7 soundbites "I like the fact they drink a lot of beer. They'renot like Italian men because they're so white." Milan resident Francesca Scorcia on the Celtic fans who last weekinvaded her city "I'm fond of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. They arekind of the John and Paul of the ...
How just 10 new jobs could transform the isle of Tiree; Civil service relocation a major boost for island
Oct 03, 2004; ... Ten jobs may not sound like much, but they could be the making ofTiree. An announcement is imminent on the relocation of civil servicejobs from Edinburgh to the Hebridean island, which would cement itstransformation in a few short years from despair to a dynamo ofactivity, pointing the ...
Concerns over conviction of gang rape trio :Witnesses say that victim confessed to making up accusation 'for a laugh' and to claim compensation
Oct 03, 2004; ... A QUESTION mark hangs over the conviction of three men eachserving six years for the brutal gang rape of an Edinburgh woman,after claims that the victim confessed to friends that she hadconsented to sex and made the accusations in order to claim criminalcompensation. The ...
Calls for Burns's song of equality to be Scots anthem
Oct 03, 2004; ... A CAMPAIGN is afoot to have Robert Burns's A Man's A Man For A'That chosen as Scotland's official national anthem. Green MSP Chris Ballance, his party's spokesman on culturalmatters, has submitted a motion to the Scottish Executive calling forthat position, never before officially ...
Blood-soaked Iraq deeper into chaos : IRAQ IN TURMOIL
Oct 03, 2004; ... The Iraqi father's grief-stricken face said it all. Traumatised bythe explosions which killed at least 35 children as they played in aBaghdad street, his anger was directed not at the Tawhid and Jihadsuicide bombers but at the US soldiers also among the casualties. They were to ...
HOW TONY BECAME THE UNTOUCHABLE; The hostage crisis continues, violence spirals out of control in Iraq, Labour threaten to rebel ... but the Prime Minister emerges triumphant from all his troubles; Tony Blair's announcement of his ongoing heart problems came as a surprise to Gordon Brown. But the Prime Minister needn't worry: he's in an unassailable position : THE GREAT ESCAPE
Oct 03, 2004; ... Tony Blair is expected back at his desk in Downing Street tomorrowpreparing for a trip to Ethiopia later this week. Is another toughweek in prospect for the Prime Minister? If there is, Blair willdismiss it, deal with it and, on the evidence of last week, conquerit. His formal status ...
How the intelligence net is closing in on Zarqawi : THE MANHUNT
Oct 03, 2004; ... IT was on Thursday September 16, just one day before KennethBigley was taken hostage in Baghdad, that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi'sTawhid and Jihad terror network suffered its worst defeat so far inits long and brutal war of attrition against coalition forces. In a targeted ...
'Why did police raid my home?' : After Paul Bigley launched a high- profile bid to secure his brother Ken's release, police searched his home and are now monitoring his computer. Just what do they think is going on? : HOSTAGE CRISIS
Oct 03, 2004; ... Since Ken Bigley was taken hostage 17 days ago, his brother Paulhas fielded thousands of telephone calls from his home in theNetherlands. He's spoken to the British media, Arab televisionsstations, business contacts in the Middle East oil industry ...anyone who he thinks can help secure ...
Devolution has reinvigorated the arts, opera is booming and our leading composers love to work there. Guess where? Hint: it's not Scotland
Oct 03, 2004; ... James MacMillan has not minced his words since Scottish Operaaccepted the rescue package making it part company with the majorityof its chorus. MacMillan, one of Scotland's most celebrated livingcomposers, and certainly its most outspoken, accused the ScottishExecutive and Scottish Arts ...
Healthy victory for the people, but will they lose out in the end?; HOLYROOD COMMENTARY: The U-turn on hospital closures was a triumph for campaign groups, but ignoring the clinicians may come at a cost
Oct 03, 2004; ... He's the man who likes to say no. The health minister, MalcolmChisholm, made a virtue last week of his preparedness to overrulehealth boards wanting to close or downgrade local hospitals. As aresult, the Queen Mother's maternity hospital in Glasgow is saved.The Belford in Fort William ...
24-HOUR PARLY PEOPLE; The Holyrood opening ceremony could have been a showcase of Scottish culture and industry. Instead the line-up is strictly D- list
Oct 03, 2004; ... Maybe Blair and Brown had the right idea. Although the two mostpowerful men in British politics were criticised for avoiding theparliament's official opening ceremony, one look at how this week'sevent has been organised confirms why any sensible person would wantto stay away. At ...
Blairism is dead, all hail Brown : POWERPLAY :; Iain Macwhirter; reckons the Prime minister has set a deadline for the end of his time as leader
Oct 03, 2004; ... CHEER up, Gordon. It's not the end of the world. So, Tony has saidhe intends to serve a full third term of office. But at least it'sthe beginning of the end of Blairism. The Chancellor's hopes for an early transition to power may appearto have been dashed, but if you think about ...
The good news: Tony's going. The bad news: it's not until 2009
Oct 03, 2004 ... The planning diary of Tony Blair must be an impressive tome. Thewell laid scheme he announced last week - insisting he will serve afull third term as Labour leader if elected - necessitates a personalplanner that seemingly stretches to the year 2009. His intention to "serve" until ...
Readers' Views
Oct 03, 2004 ... Regal right or moral wrong? Ian Bell opines that hunting with dogs and horses is, of itself,no big deal (Seven Days, September 26). Right enough, there is any amount of suffering in the world to beconcerned about, but then much of it is human produced. I wonderwhere the ...
7; daysin thelife of; Jean Turner, independent MSP, who is opposed to hospital centralisation
Oct 03, 2004 ... Monday An MSP is never really off the job. It's always a lot ofbusiness mixed in with a little bit of pleasure. My weekend had been like that; rounds of frantic phone calls withfriends and campaigners. At the start of the day I know the Conservatives are going to putup a ...
Gaza's deadly taste of what's to come; Following rocket attacks on Jewish communities, an Israeli revenge mission is adding to the death toll and destroying homes. David Pratt reports from Jabaliya
Oct 03, 2004; ... "Days of Penitence", the Israeli army has called it. In many ways,it is more than just a codename for the latest deadly militaryassault into the heart of the Gaza Strip; it is a declaration ofintent. Suffering pain for past sins is precisely what the Israeli highcommand has in ...
New investigation uncovers more racism, voter intimidation and faulty poll machines
Oct 03, 2004; ... BLACK people intimidated at the polling booth. Voting machinesthat register ballots wrongly. Welcome to the disaster-waiting-to-happen that is the US presidential election of November 2004. An investigation by the National Association for the Advancementof Coloured People (NAACP) ...
Italian hostage group barters for Bigley's release; Hopes rise as sources claim terrorists want cash
Oct 03, 2004; ... The militant Iraqi group that last week released two Italianhostages is bartering with the terrorists holding British hostageKenneth Bigley in order to release him for a ransom. The hostage's brother, Paul Bigley, who has spearheaded appealsfor his life, said he was encouraged by ...
Prescott called in to heal deepening Blair-Brown rift
Oct 03, 2004; ... John Prescott is being urged to once again act as a mediator inthe renewed tensions between the Prime Minister and the Chancellor. The timing of Tony Blair's announcement last week that he intendsto serve a full third term in office should he win the next generalelection is said ...
A licenceto quill : Alan Taylor's Diary
Oct 03, 2004; ... YOU, like me, were probably horrified to read that Shir Sean maybe about to retire from the movies. According to Variety, a showbizglossy, the greatest living Scotsman has pulled out of his latestfilm project, Josiah's Canon, in which he was due to play a survivorof the Holocaust, intent ...
Conservatives: First Minister is stoking 'race hate'; Renewed attacks on Fresh Talent initiative
Oct 03, 2004; ... The row over Jack McConnell's Fresh Talent initiative escalatedlast night after the Conservative at the centre of the dispute saidthe First Minister was a "despicable" politician guilty of stoking"racial hatred". Peter Duncan, the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, made ...
Foundation hospitals 'inevitable'
Oct 03, 2004; ... Foundation hospitals are inevitable in Scotland because of theExecutive's failure to reform the health service, according to aleading member of a clinicians group formed to protect the NHS. Dr Matthew Dunnigan, who is an executive member of the NHSConsultants' Association (NHSCA), ...