News.Scotland.Org

April, 30

There has been a huge jump in the number of offences on advertisements in recent times. If we look into the figures of such complaints we can spot an increase of 9.6 percent in these offensive cases. As per the Advertising Standard Authority about 2458 advertisements were either changed or withdrawn last year. This was the first time when such a huge number of adverts have been withdrawn.

Another essential factor along with other objections was the jump in environmental claims. There were a mix of ads which got strong oppose from viewers, the advert with fish-hooks in mouth got the highest number of complaints for a single advertisement. Other such advertisements include the MFI television advert in which the woman slaps her husband; many such ads received huge complaints from viewers.

It is known that advertisements have become a part of our day-today life. In this series of ads there remains several set of ads which have some offensive messages or scenes which hurts our sentiments or social values. Even few of the ads spreads wrong message or have some false promises. In this consumerism advertisements have become the pillars of trading and marketing, but to some extent they can mislead our society too.

These offensive ads have highlighted the dark side of these advertisements are generating out in the public. The recent offences have shown how people are scrutinising these ads which shall not to be shown or publicised.

Scotland, Apr 29: Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond and Prime Minister Gordon Brown have met to resolve the strike that had led to the closure of Grangemouth oil refinery. The meeting took place at the House of Commons and it lasted for about 20 minutes.

The 2 days long strike has disrupted the fuel supply and led to the halt of UK’s North Sea oil production. Mr Salmond assured that there will be no shortage of fuels in Scotland as a result of this closure.

Business Secretary John Hutton will visit the oil refinery on Tuesday, Finance and Business Minister John Swinney will also visit Grangemouth refinery. Earlier about 1,200 Unite union members walked out of the central Scotland Ineos plant on Sunday in a dispute over pensions. The founder of Ineos plant, Jim Ratcliffe was heckled by workers when he visited the site on Monday.

The Forties oil pipeline delivers about 30 per cent of the UK’s oil output from the North Sea was closed as a result of this issue. Oil prices reached a new high of about $120 a barrel.

As an attempt to tackle the issue of oil shortage 65,000 tonnes of fuel were imported, as Ineos oil refinery is considered as the main oil fuel supplier in Scotland. Even though the workers called off their strike on Tuesday morning it will take few days for the operation to get normal.

The employees and the company authorities held negotiations last week at the conciliation service Acas but it failed to bring any amicable settlement.

April, 28

The study has pointed out the fact that polar ice is melting at a faster rate and it has reached to a state from where recovery seems a tough ask. The research reports also have revealed that during September 2007 the Artic ice shrink to almost 39 percent which was below its average for 1979-2000. It was also known that the Greenland ice sheet was shrinking at a faster rate, and if this melting process continuous and the entire ice sheet melts then the sea level will rise up to a great level.

All these reports are hinting towards a much needed check to the climatic change which is making the situation more adverse. In order to stabilize the situation the Stop climate chaos Scotland, WWF, Friends of the earth Scotland and RSPB Scotland is jointly campaigning for the Scottish government to not to change its commitment in the Climate Change Bill to cut emission by 80 percent. Now government should act positively to make sure the climatic conditions doesn’t hampers anymore, disturbing the ecological balance.

Its time for the government to come up with some act to get the situation under control and face this huge ask to control the climatic change which is disturbing the natural cycle. It is the need of the hour to adjust as per the situation or else it would to be too late.

April, 25

Homelessness has struck the buzzing capital city Edinburgh badly with a significant shortage of homes for people. The scarcity of homes is such that it has been forecasted that Edinburgh would need an additional 12,000 homes over the next ten years. In such an adverse situation people are left with no options other than to choose for temporary accommodation options rather than having their own dwelling.

The main reason for this growing shortage for houses in the capital is the slow rate of construction of new homes which makes the situation more severe. It was known that the housing association of Edinburgh builds some 500 new homes every year which is not sufficient to meet the requirements.

If we look into the core of the issue we can find that among all other cities Edinburgh is the place which has the major shortage for homes. Another reason for this problem is inadequate investments for building new homes. The government should make sure that sooner or later this problem has to be tackled or else this stigma will ruin the cities treasured glory.

Scotland, Apr 24: In a bid to aid older people to stay intact with their community, a new project will be implemented in the Highlands. The project aims to promote the helping tendency among the older people to make them help each other. The core idea of the project emerged at a workshop in Inverness that includes delegates from Ireland, Dumfries and Galloway and Scandinavia.

The project is named as Older for Older abbreviated as O4O. Four areas will be chosen for the implementation of the project in the coming summer. Highlands’s higher education institute will take initiative to execute the European Union-funded project.

According to Professor Jane Farmer, the project co-ordinator, “Earlier, research has shown that older people are making significant social contribution for each other in the rural areas. The project consider them as assets as they help to maintain the liveliness of the communities by contributing a range of basic support services that help them to lead an independent life for the rest of their life. Even though the project gives special emphasis on older people it will also try to build a strong bond between generations.”

In the meantime the project of UHI tries to keep men engaged by participating them in courses like golf, canoe building and furniture making. The new report of Scottish Funding Council case studies’ submitted to the Scottish government has recommended Engaged Men project. Involvement of various educational institutions, public-sector agencies and organisations will be effectively used in the project.

April, 23

Well if you wanna be moms out there have a desire for having a baby boy then increase your calorie intake while trying to get pregnant. This new research has suggested that eating a bowl of cereals every day can increase the chances of having boy. It was seen that those women who had a good calorie intake before conception were more likely to have a boy than other women with normal diet.

It could sound strange but the study conducted on women has revealed that about 56 per cent of women who took more than 2200 calories a day before conception had give birth to a boy. Well hope this research brings some relief for the people of western countries where the proportion of boy child are very low.

This study has also revealed how women in western countries have become less concerned for taking a good calorie diet, which is dropping down the proportion of boy child rapidly. Scientific studies have shown that high level of glucose levels boosts the growth of male embryos while inhibiting female ones. Even doctors have backed the study revealing that increase in calorie intake while trying to conceive helps to up the chances of having a boy. So if you are planning for a baby and wish for a boy then make sure your diet includes a high intake of calories.

Scotland, Apr 22: A week long Edinburgh Mela will begin from August 25 onwards. It is a multi-cultural festival that includes dance, music and other theatre art forms. With a new director at the helm the mela will be bigger this year than the previous years. Earlier the festival was a weekend celebration, this year it is extended to a week long festival. The location of the festival is changed from Pilrig Park to the impressive waterfront near Ocean Terminal in Leith.

While commenting on this the newly appointed director of the festival said: “There will be several changes in the mela, but it will retain all its unique features. This exhilarating festival will include a perfect blend of theatre, dance and music; the ambiance of the mela will be great this year as it includes a world premier. Shifting the event to a larger site and making it a week long event will mark the beginning of a new era of brand new Edinburgh Mela festival”

Port operator, Forth Ports and the property developer has come forward to sponsor the event. Organisers feel that the new sponsorship packages will boost the festival and allows it to provide a perfect platform to host various cultural events that reflects the diverse art forms of Scotland.

The Scottish Arts Council and Edinburgh City Council are supporting the week long Edinburgh Mela that will end on 31 August. The city’s minority ethnic communities with the aim of reflecting and celebrating Scotland’s cultural diversity took initiative and started the mela in the year 1995. This year Edinburgh Mela is expected to attract more visitors than ever.

April, 21

To keep a check to the rising numbers of accidents in Scotland police have launched a crackdown on the divers who don’t use to wear seatbelts while driving. It is evident that road accidents has been a serious cause of worry for Scotland since a long time, which so far has claimed many lives.

To bring down the soaring incidents of road crashes a drive was initiated by the Scottish police to watch out for all driving parameters one has to flow on roads. In this drive police patrolling will be put in to action in all most all busy roads to crackdown rash drivers. In one of the survey carried out by the Scottish government it was found that over 11 per cent of the motorist don’t wear seatbelts and over 22 per cent back seat passengers also avoid putting their seatbelts.

It was also known that the over speed at which people use to drive is also a major cause for these road accidents. The study has clearly shown that huge number of accidents has occurred due to the high speed driving. The motorists are not at all following the prescribed speed limits and are not only risking their lives but also of others.

This drive by Scotland police will look into all these aspects and will make sure all road safety regulations are followed by the drivers.

Scotland, Apr 19: On the backdrop of the commencement of major military exercise the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) has raised its concern over the adverse effect of sonar noise from the warships in whales. The society members suggest that the sound will make the whales to strand themselves on beaches; they also pointed out that at least 43 marine mammals died since February.

About 36 warships and 70 aircrafts representing the UK and 16 Nato countries will take part in the joint military exercise named Joint Warrior that will be staged off the west coast of Scotland. Live firing at ranges simulated bombing are among the activities.

While commenting on this the Sarah Marines of WDCS said: “Until now we haven’t received any satisfactory response from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that indicates that sonar related whale deaths were not taken seriously.”

Earlier in February WDCS and the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust submitted a Freedom of Information request to the MoD to find out the link between the stranding of Cuvier’s off the islands of Tiree, Islay and Harris and the use of military sonar.

Replying to that the spokesman of Royal Navy said there were no vessels in that area on the month of February. The lowest frequency of active sonar will not be used when the marine mammals were near by. The hydrophones used by the specialists on board can effectively detect whales and dolphins.

Conducted twice a year the joint exercise of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force will involve several countries including the US, Germany, France, Denmark, New Zealand, Netherlands, Canada, Poland, Latvia, Spain, Norway, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and Norway.

April, 18

Is your doctor working in a spacious and healthy environment? Well it may at first sound a funny question but you may be surprised to know that about two-third of Edinburgh GPs are working in a cramped atmosphere. This present way of practicing not only affects their work but also does an adverse affect to the patients, opines one of the doctors.

One can easily sight out the general problem of space in many clinics makes it even tough for patients to fix an appointment and also affects the consultation process. Other than that scarcity of rooms and other basic requirements are also a worry sign. This problem has now grown widely and taken a huge shape in Edinburgh raising an alarm for the medical department to step in and act on this issue.

It was known that the British Medical Association had raised this issue some two year back, but nothing much was done in this regard. The main hurdle in this problem is the monetary investment needed to meet the standards. It is also seen that the majority of these general practitioners find it really hard to deal with surgeries and provide enough beds for patients adding more woes.

Now-a-days the general practice has jumped to a great number with more and more docs offering consultation other than hospitals to patients. A lot of improvement is still needed to bridge the gap between this inadequate way the practice is going on. It’s the need of the hour to take an initiative to improve the standards of these practices going around in Edinburgh.