News.Scotland.Org

October, 31

The major threat which was haunting Scotland’s people for many years claiming majority of deaths by its spell seems to be fading slowly. The biggest killer disease in Scotland, the so called heart diseases has reduced to a level. All credits to the scientific research and advanced medical treatment which showed some ray of hope for Scottish heart patients to fight this evil. The figures also pointed out that the death rate from heart disease among under-75 has dropped by 8.4 percent in recent year. This positive trend shows how people have become more cautious about their health and are switching towards a healthy lifestyle. These stats have brought some relief for the health ministry and Scottish people who were feeling helpless by the whopping deaths by heart diseases.

The experts suggest that the target set by the ministry aimed for 60 percent fall in the deaths by heart diseases by 2010. To meet this target its necessary that this downward trend of heart borne deaths continue to fall in near future. On the other hand many health agencies have felt happy for this success. It was noticed that the bad eating habits and less concern over health was one of the main reason for this cause. But the tendency of Scottish people is changing towards a better and healthier tomorrow.

With technological advancement and daily innovations on the field of medicine, researchers are finding out every single possibility to curb this evil. Even the advanced treatments for patient and ban on smoking in public places have helped a lot for the decline in heart borne death rates. One of the spokeswoman for charity Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland said: “It is excellent news that fewer Scots are being diagnosed with and dying from heart disease and strokes. “Much of the fall in admissions to hospital can be attributed to community-based preventative medicine and the ban on smoking in public places which came into effect last year.

This decline in death rate will also help to rub the tile of ‘the sick man of Europe’ given to Scotland. Another sad fact shows how Scotland has a poor strength to tackle heart diseases in comparison with rest of the UK. The stats revealed by British Heart Foundation (BHF) shows how the death cases from heart ailments were reported in 70 percent higher among Scottish men, compared to those in the south east of England.

However the rapid development in the eating and lifestyle culture of Scottish people is a good sign for cutting off more death rates from heart diseases. Now the acid test for the health experts and doctors along with the health ministry would be to achieve the goal they have set till 2010. Hope this rich country becomes rich in its health sector too.

Scotland, Oct 31: The Council’s plans to shut down schools across Edinburgh are being drawn up by city chiefs. Owing to the SNP rebellion the council’s controversial decision to hack 22 schools and nurseries was abandoned with in two months of its declaration.

The new list, which will be announced next month, is considered to be shorter one and will be based on the same criteria that include popular schools in Edinburgh. Parents of the students are well organised to express their opposition against the closure. The protests include pupil strike, rally and demonstrations outside city chamber.

The Edinburgh’s education leader, Councillor Marilyne MacLaren requested people to stay calm. After the initial plans were scrapped she had ordered officials to chalk out a new proposal.

MacLaren said “One thing that head teachers and unions are saying to us is that decisions have to be made. It’s really very cruel for some of these schools to continue to have this axe hanging over their heads. A cross-party group, which will include teacher and church representatives, will also be set up. ”

This will be launched by the Director of Education, Gillian Tee on November 19 and he will announce the condition for listing the school that should close.

While commenting on this Councillor MacLaren said: “The director will bring forward new proposals on November 19, and I would expect the criteria she suggests for closing schools to be similar to before, but we will be working towards a shorter list.”

The Lismore parents Action Group has twice campaigned successfully to keep the schools out of closing threat. The Chairwomen of the action group, Gail Ross said: “I expect Lismore to be on the list again. If it is, the parents will be up for a fight again, without a shadow of a doubt, and it will be just as ferocious as before.”

The poor children and families lost £9 million of their saving over three years as the consultation collapsed. Next course of agitation will be based on the new proposal put forth on November 19. The future of pupils and the schools will be decided on that crucial decision.

October, 30

One serious concern is haunting the Scottish judiciary these days, the lack of quality translator is helping several foreign criminals to move freely. This problem is drawing more and more worries for Scottish courts amidst the growing number of such foreign national trials. It also has raised a question mark on whether in the absence of a trained translator can many such foreign nationals look for a fair trial. Expressing her views over this matter Alena Linhartova, who has interpreted in Scotland for twenty years said, the problem is very severe and in coming years we can see a flurry of appeals from foreign nationals against their convictions. The appalling quality of translators is making trials unworthy and doubtful.

In one of such foreign national cases, the trial was given up by the court due to lack of evidences and the whopping cost of interpreting the case. In same manner a series of such cases have collapsed due to lack of quality translation. It is noticed that in recent years a massive influx of foreign nationals especially nationals from Eastern Europe are settling in Scotland. This has made the Scottish courts to suffer a lot when it comes to interpret their allegations.

The poor quality of interpreters in Scottish courts is due to shortage of experienced translators making it to the court rooms. These novice translators thus find it hard to translate such cases of many foreign nationals. To curb this growing problem proper check should be done while opting for a translator. Many native speakers are also sometimes pulled off the street and made to work for several agencies and they often find themselves in court without any training said Ms Linhartova.

This growing concern has raised an alarm for the Scottish judiciary, now the need of the hour is to follow a prescribed and lethal procedure while hiring the services of a valid translator. Or else a small lack of scrutiny in the selection can result to awful consequences and would degrade the trust of the people on the Scottish Judiciary.

Scotland, Oct 30: After a series of search operation, the Edinburgh police seized dozens of knives from revellers outside pubs and clubs. Hand held metal detectors were used for the searching around 2500 people as part of the three-week long campaign.

In total 36 weapons were seized on the spot, shedding light on the fact that one among 70 revellers in the town were carrying knife with them. The search operation was carried out as part of the Safer Scotland Campaign aimed at targeting violent crime. Apart from knives 70 bladed weapons including an axe, a cleaver and a scythe were also handed over in the Lothians police station. In 2006, 455 people were arrested in connection with weapons carrying in Lothian and Borders.

Inspector Neil Phillip, the Lothian and Borders liaison officer for the Safer Scotland campaign, while commenting on this said: ” The priority of this campaign was to get as many weapons as possible out of circulation and so we worked with bouncers at nightclubs in the city centre to set up searches there, as well as checking pubs and clubs across the area.”

The seized weapons along with 34 other weapons including hammers, bats and metal poles were sent to be destroyed.

Mike Bridgman, councillor of Craigmillar said: “The knife culture in Edinburgh was completely out of order. It is madness that in this society some people think it is all right to go around carrying knives and I would hope that we can sweep away that belief and eradicate that culture of knife crime. I fully support the police effort in this.”

Iain Whyte, Councillor and the chairman of the Lothian and Border Police Board hailed the result of the search operation. He further added that: “It is very encouraging to hear that so many knives were handed over to the police, and that a number of knives were taken from people at the point when they could have posed a real threat to others.”

The success of this search hunt is the recognition to the hard work of the Police officers across Scotland and it will help in restricting the knife culture in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. The next stage of the Safer Scotland campaign will give focus on Alcohol Fuelled Violence that will begin from December.

October, 29

A bug has struck the new mothers in the UK who are now aping the glittering celeb mums to be the perfect ‘Yummy mummy’. A recent research suggests that a growing trend in UK has made the new mothers to splurge too much in order to scale to the Yummy mummy status. These days moms are spending about £1,000 to get closer to this tag, in this race the average spending of women has raised to a great extinct. The research pointed out a surprising fact that women are now spending £939 on designer clothes, a Bugaboo buggy and other things to keep them and there babies trendy.

Mummies are competing hard to match up with star mums like Victoria Beckham, now a days these women are also spending more to look prettier and slim improving their appearance. They shops really hard for themselves buying fashionable clothes, taking beauty treatments, reducing their weight, and even moms resort to cosmetic surgery to look more young and charming.

This whooping rise in the spending of women has touched to about £6.7 billion per year for all new mothers in UK. Experts says that this new tendency of women is nothing unusual, and if women want themselves and their new ones to be stylish and look good there nothing to surprise. Rachel Roe, from the online bank Egg said, “The concern comes when mothers get into debt because they are spending money they have not got on things they feel they are under pressure to buy or do.”

Another main reason behind the mothers to shop really hard these days is because now they have enough varieties to shop for their babies. And all moms want their kid to look nice and pretty, so why not keep them stylish from the childhood. Marc Page, manager of the baby wear and nursery department at John Lewis in Edinburgh, said parents were spending more on their children, including making bookings with the store’s personal shoppers: “Bugaboo prams are par-ticularly popular. This is, in part, because of the number of celebrities using them.”

So next time you find a mom rushing on for new clothes and make-ups don’t feel surprised that’s how is our generation-next mom. Always trendy and up to date no matter what’s it costs them. So yummy mummy’s are busy at work, looking trendy and stylish, nothing less than our celebrity moms.

Scotland, Oct 29: In a bid to develop healthy habits in younger generation, the secondary school pupils in Edinburgh will be given regular fitness tests. This fitness tests mainly aims to tackle obesity which is on a rapid increase and causing many health related issues. Under this scheme youngsters will undergo fitness test in the interval of every few months and the report card stating their fitness level will be given to their parents.

Based on their fitness level pupils will be given chance to improve their health by indulging in additional sports activity and after school clubs. As a pilot initiative S1 pupils of Trinity Academy were put under the fitness test, if the test proved to be successful then it will be implemented in other part of the city.

The fitness test includes 12 minute runs, alertness test during shuttle runs and the ability test to run in different directions. Students were also tested on how long they could stay in a ‘plank’ position by holding themselves on their tiptoes and elbows. Gunners’ rugby stars and PE teachers were invited to encourage the students to participate in the fitness test. In total 180 pupils took part in the tests of speed, agility, strength and endurance.

In an attempt to make the students aware of the adverse effects of smoking more tests will be included to measure the overall health that include their diets and lung capacity. It is expected that the frequent lung capacity tests will gradually discourage youngsters to get rid of the smoking habit in the future. Pupils were not compelled to participate in the fitness tests they all voluntarily participated in the test with the whole hearted support of their parents.

A recent health statistics shows that 22 per cent of P1 pupils in Scotland are overweight while among the P7 classes it is 34 percent i.e. one-fifth of the students are obese.

While commenting on this initiative by the Trinity academy, City’s Education leader Chancellor Marilyne MacLaren said: “It’s great that Trinity has come up with this idea and I will look at how it develops. If Trinity can show this is a way for young people to get fitter, that is something I would be happy to publicise as good practice.”

The pupils of the Trinity academy will be tested again next February to find how the fitness levels of the students have improved. It is a good move by the Trinity academy to bring proper health awareness in students. This will help in developing healthy citizens in future years to come.

October, 27

Now no swimming with dolphins, even if it helps you to cure your ailments. Taking a strong stand in this regard the dolphin conversation groups have stood up to ban this therapy which permits people to swim with this creature. According to the Whale and Dolphin Conversation Society (WDCS) till now no positive effects this therapy has shown to the people to whom it was tested. It is known that dolphins are sensitive creatures but at times they can be violent too, this possess a danger for humans to swim with it.

In recent years this therapy has taken a massive shape with many such centres being set up giving people the chance to swim with dolphins. The so called Dolphin Assisted Treatment (DAT) is said to be give mostly to those people who are affected by Physical or Psychological disabilities.

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) claims that there are no such evidences that swimming with dolphins helps people suffering with physical or learning difficulties. This therapy can be harmful for both, the dolphin and the patient suggests the conservative groups. As humans can get attacked by this creature and on the other hand dolphins has the risk of getting infected by human borne disease. Even reports show that dolphins are trapped for the therapy which is against the laws of animal welfare raising a serious concern.

Cathy Williamson, a joint author of the report, said dolphins in captivity had been shown to suffer from high levels of stress. “That makes them more vulnerable to disease and more unpredictable. Research in America has shown people who work with marine mammals are more prone to infection or injury.” Still there are no such strong evidences proving the benefits of this therapy.

This ban though have put a stop to these dolphin assisted treatments, but has shown once again a serious concern people are showing to conserve our rapidly disappearing marine life. Hope this ban would benefit this sensitive creature to move freely in its own habitat without the fear of being trapped for human interest.

Scotland, Oct 27: Let us bid goodbye to the faded system of learning in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Scotland will have a brand new university to promote yogic flying and national “invincibility”. The university will give importance to subjects like education, health, economics, music and arts together with “total knowledge” and the “unified field”. The university will promote national “invincibility” and world peace.

The university is named after Scotland’s cultural hero as Invincible Donovan University. Donovan is considered as the pioneer of flower power and is famous for his hits in sixties like ‘Catch the Wind’ and ‘Mellow Yellow’.

Donovan after launching the project and commented on the purpose of the university: “It will be a regular university, but powered by this extraordinary technique. It will focus on invincible youth, building a future of peace, surely that’s only in a Donovan or John Lennon song? But no, it’s a reality,” he said.

The cultural hero and the US film director David Lynch are in UK as part of a tour to push Lynch’s campaign to teach transcendental meditation (TM) to the children of the world. The duo promoted the campaign with Lynch delivering speech and Donovan singing. The launch of the university was held at a luxury hotel in Edinburgh. The studies will be an incredible foray into traditional Indian meditation techniques.

Even though the project was only 2 days old, three sites including Edinburgh and Glasgow are under consideration. “It’s so new, it’s so fresh, it’s just been born, and the intention has now been created. It’s been in my heart and thoughts for the last 40 years.” Donovan said.

Donovan in the early months of 1968 had spent many weeks at the Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram to learn about the transcendental meditation. Lynch and Donovan were supported by two Americans, Dr Bevan Morris of the Maharishi University of Management, and Dr John Hagelin, quantum physicist and president of the Maharishi Central University. They shared their experience on how the US students benefit out of the “yogic flying”.

Just twenty minutes of meditation once or twice a day is what needed to get rid of the stress and depression of the students. The new campus will help in making the younger generation aware of this natural remedy.

October, 26

They are our closest associates; still we hunt them for various reasons, now they are on the verge of extinction. Reason for the decline in their population is none other than mankind, who made life miserable for these speechless creatures, even made them deprived of their natural habitat. The wildlife reports shows an eye-raising fact that at present only few species of langurs, gibbons and few other members of the monkey family are left on the earth. According to a report on the world’s 25 most vulnerable primates, which included gorillas, chimpanzees, gibbons and monkeys it was told that, all these species are struggling to survive on earth.

The main reason for their extinction is the exploitation done for the sake of mankind, used as pets, food, medicinal purpose and even highly trapped for medical experiments and research. Even the rapid urbanization and industrialization is making the habitat of these creatures small. According to Russell Mittermeier, the president of US-based environmental group Conservation International, the meat of Primate is a luxury item for the elite in Central and West Africa. While in Asia it is used for medicinal purpose, he added that Sumatran Orangutans along with cross-river gorillas are also threatened by a [per trade into Taiwan.

This is really a sign of worry for our age old closest relative, many environmentalist are also trying out to make people aware of the fact how these species are disappearing from our earth. To make sure these endangered species to survive, the whole society has to come forward and try out all measures to protect these species. The government should also try out implement strict laws to curb the poaching and torturing of these species from mankind.

Scotland, Oct 26: The High Court appeal submitted by the House of Commons to keep the details of Anne Moffatt, the MP for East Lothian’s travel expense out of public knowledge has been withdrawn yesterday. This dramatic move will pave the way for the breakdown of all Westminster MPs’ expenses.

The Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, had asked Anne Moffatt to submit her receipts for examination. Her £40,000 travel expense claimed in 2003 had triggered two requests to reduce the unnecessary costs forwarded under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

The Commons at that time blocked the request to submit the bills by upholding the privacy rights under the Data Protection Act. They then send an appeal, protesting the ruling by Mr Thomas, with the High Court. But the withdrawal of the appeal last night confirmed that they had abandoned the fight. The MP’s have protested against the attempt to compel them to cut down their expenses by voting to relieve them from the clutches of FOI Act.

While commenting on this a spokeswoman of the Commons said: “An appeal was lodged with the High Court. After further consideration, this has now been withdrawn.”

A spokesman for Mr Thomas said: “The decision was a welcoming one. The public had the right to know about the taxpayer-funded travel, the journeys for which an MP may claim reimbursement relate to official business and are therefore paid for out of public funds,” the spokesman said.

On the wake of this incident, all the expenses of the MPs’ including the travel expense, office costs, staff and away-from-home allowances were released. It revealed that the MPs claimed £87.6 million last year, rise of around 5 per cent on the previous 12 months.

Meanwhile the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown assured that the government would be more open in dealing with FOI requests. He also launched a three-month long public consultation on extending the Freedom of Information Act to private firms.