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<title>Streenge RSS Feed</title><link>http://www.streenge.com/index.html</link><description>Weird News from Scotland</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2009 Trevor Mendham</dc:rights><dc:date>2009-12-13T12:16:08+00:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 10:51:14 +0100</lastBuildDate><item><title>More Quotes For Holyrood</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-13T12:16:08+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/parliament-quotes.html#unique-entry-id-20</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/parliament-quotes.html#unique-entry-id-20</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood in Edinburgh is an interesting building, not least for the various quotations inscribed on the wall of the building.   Now, to mark ten years of devolution, two more quotes will be added to the 24 already present.


The first new lines are from Oh Dear Me (A Mill Song) by Mary Brooksbank:


...The second quote is from A Man in Assynt by Norman MacCaig:


...False questions, for this landscape is masterless and intractable in any terms that are human


The two new quotation stones will be officially unveiled on December 17th 2009.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Giant Wheel Proposed for Edinburgh</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-11T08:44:47+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/ed-wheel.html#unique-entry-id-19</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/ed-wheel.html#unique-entry-id-19</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The London Eye is a popular destination for tourists visiting England's capital.   Now Scotland's capital could have its own version.


Plans have been proposed for a giant wheel to be built in Edinburgh.   This would stand 120 metres high and be called Scotland's National Wheel.   Planning restrictions and lack of space would prevent it being built in the city centre, instead a site on the Leith waterfront has been suggested.


If building of the wheel goes ahead it's hoped that it could become a major tourist destination and attract over half a million visitors a year.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Virtual Graduation in Edinburgh</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-27T07:47:00+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/eu-sl.html#unique-entry-id-18</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/eu-sl.html#unique-entry-id-18</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The University of Edinburgh has found a way to allow those on distant learning courses enjoy the pageantry of a graduation ceremony: virtual graduation.


Students on the university's E-Learning course were able to attend a virtual ceremony in the Second Life (SL) representation of the McEwan Hall.   The ceremony was complete with virtual robes, virtual hoods and - of course - a virtual bar!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Dark Skies of Galloway</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-16T10:00:44+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/galloway-dark-sky.html#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/galloway-dark-sky.html#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Imagine living in a world with no stars in the sky...


...In some city centres light pollution all but removes the stars from the sky. 

...The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) exists to preserve and protect the nighttime environment.   The IDA has now recognised Galloway Forest Park in south west Scotland as one of the best places in the world for viewing the night sky: it's been given gold tier Dark Sky Park award.   Galloway is the first European location to be achieve this status and becomes one of only four in the world.


...[Galloway Forest Park] is ideally suited for access from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast and Northern England meaning that many people, including children, may have access to a quality night sky, both now and in generations to come.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Oysters Found in Forth</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-05T10:58:10+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/firth-forth-oysters.html#unique-entry-id-16</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/firth-forth-oysters.html#unique-entry-id-16</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Oysters from Edinburgh's Firth of Forth were once considered to be some of the best you could buy.   At its peak the Edinburgh oyster industry produced over 30 million oysters a year and exported them across Europe.


That all came to an end when the Forth oysters were wiped out by over-fishing and pollution. 

...Dr Elizabeth Ashton of Stirling University has discovered wild oysters in the Firth of Forth.   She believes it might be possible to re-establish the colonies, possibly taking them back up to a level where commercial fishing once again becomes viable.


The exact location of the oyster discovery has not been revealed.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Protect the Lorne Sausage</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-05T10:44:12+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/protect-lorne-sausage.html#unique-entry-id-14</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/protect-lorne-sausage.html#unique-entry-id-14</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The square Lorne Sausage is a classic Scottish dish - and the country's butchers want it to stay that way.


Trade association Scottish Craft Butchers wants the Lorne sausage to be given a Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) by Europe.   This would mean that it would be protected in the same way as Parma ham and Melton Mowbray pork pies and its production restricted to Scotland.


Douglas Scott of Scotland's Craft Butchers said:


We will work on the application and hope to get the backing of Quality Meat Scotland and the Scottish Government in taking the square slice to Brussels
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>World&#x27;s Most Expensive Sheep</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-29T21:28:04+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/most-expensive-sheep.html#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/most-expensive-sheep.html#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[If you think that the price of lamp is a bit dear then how about this: a Scottish sheep has just been sold for &pound;231,000!   That's about US $376,000.


"Deveronvale Perfection" is an eight month old Texel lamb bred in Banffshire.   He was sold for the record price at a livestock sale in Lanark.


The lamb will be put to stud in the hope of making a profit through breeding.   Apparently he has a "strong loin" and an "incredibly chunky stature". ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bog Myrtle Plant Opens</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-16T08:25:47+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/bog-myrtle.html#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/bog-myrtle.html#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Bog myrtle may not sound like something you wish to go near, let alone produce in quantity.   However a large scale bog myrtle distillation facility is due to be opened in Scotland next week.


Despite the unfortunate name, bog myrtle has many uses.   In particular it is a traditional ingredient of some insect repellents - especially useful in a country plagued by midges.


The new plant at Essentially Scottish Botanicals near Beauly has been supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).   It will be officially opened next week by Rural Affairs and Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bizarre Buildings In Inverness</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-04T08:56:45+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/bizarre-buildings-inverness.html#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/bizarre-buildings-inverness.html#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Inverness is set to get an artistic makeover, which is to include some "bizarre" buildings.


The BBC reports on the city's Re-imaging the Centre event this September.   The five day event will feature 20 artists and discussions on artwork in the city.


Inverness has already installed street art including the "Three Virtues": trees bursting up through stone ramps to represent Perseverance, Open-heartedness and Insight.   As part of this September's event arts group Ganghut will be attempting to out-weird the Virtues by building what it describes as "bizarre" wooden structures in the city centre.


Sounds fun.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Haggis Wars</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-03T07:27:14+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/haggis-wars.html#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/haggis-wars.html#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Food historian Catherine Brown has reportedly found references to traditional haggis in an English cookbook "The English Hus-wife".   This was published in 1615, 171 years before Burns wrote To A Haggis.   The earliest reference to Scottish haggis that Brown has been able to find is from 1747. 

...In 1615, Gervase Markham says that it is very popular among all people in England.   By the middle of the 18th century another English cookery writer, Hannah Glasse, has a recipe that she calls Scotch haggis, the haggis hat we know today.


...We've nurtured the thing for all these years, we've developed it, so I think very much it is a Scottish product
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hope For Scotland&#x27;s Oldest Pub</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-01T08:08:47+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/hope-crook-inn.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/hope-crook-inn.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Scotland's oldest pub, the Crook Inn in Tweedsmuir, may have been saved.


The pub dates back to 1604 and its customers have included John Buchan and Robert Burns. 

...The Inn has recently been under threat as current owner, Jim Doonan, had planned to redevelop the site and build residential apartments.   Following a Save the Crook Inn campaign Mr Doonan appears to have changed his mind and has withdrawn his development proposal. 

...Having not seen the plans at this time it is difficult to comment, however we would be concerned if the staff accomodation were to be removed as this would leave us with a unviable business.   We look forward to discussing these concerns with him and hope to arrive at a compromise that will suit everyone.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Big Cat Filmed in Scotland</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-29T10:20:29+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/big-cat-film.html#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/big-cat-film.html#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Just days after the latest reports of the Sundrum Slasher, spectacular video has emerged of another Scottish big cat.


Off duty MoD policeman PC Chris Swallow shot this footage of a large, black feline prowling a railway line.   It's difficult to tell the exact size of the creature however comparison with the railway lines gives some feel - it's at least four foot long, definitely bigger than a domestic cat.


PC Swallow describes the cat as being as big as a labrador dog.   Since he's a police dog handler he has the experience with animals to make that a reliable estimate.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Glasgow Mum Tries to Prove She&#x27;s Not Dead</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-28T09:09:10+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/glasgow-mum-declared-dead.html#unique-entry-id-4</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/glasgow-mum-declared-dead.html#unique-entry-id-4</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A 47 year old single mother in Scotland has an unusual problem: trying to persuade the government that she's not dead!


The Scotsman reports that Carol Buchanan from Glasgow was wrongly declared dead by the HMRC computer and her records wiped.   She's been refused her tax credit payments and has even received a letter from her life insurance company wanting to pay out on her policy. 

...It wasn't a very nice thing to hear.   I feel like just a number, not a person.


Many people in the UK fear that such incidents could become far more common if Britain goes ahead with a central National Identity Register (NIR).]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Public Scratch &#x27;n&#x27; Sniff in Edinburgh</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-27T08:23:35+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/edinburgh-scratch-sniff.html#unique-entry-id-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/edinburgh-scratch-sniff.html#unique-entry-id-3</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Edinburgh is to host a very special screening of the classic feelgood movie Gregory's Girl.   The film will be shown on a big screen in the city's Festival Square as a free public event.


This screen is the first one of its kind in Scotland, but that's not what makes this screening so special.   This version of Gregory's Girl will be augmented by Scratch and Sniff technology.   Which in practice means that attendees will be given a scratch 'n' sniff card with eight smells to enjoy at the appropriate moments.


Apparently the smells on offer include those of cut grass, sweaty socks and teenage aftershave. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Puma on the Prowl in Scotland</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-23T08:44:23+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/puma-prowl.html#unique-entry-id-2</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/puma-prowl.html#unique-entry-id-2</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It looks like there might be an alien big cat (ABC) on the loose in Scotland: the Sundrum Slasher.


The BBC reports that a recent attack on a horse in Ayrshire is probably the work of a puma - not exactly a native of Scotland.   The horse was attacked last week near Sundrum Holiday Park in Coylton and left badly injured with slash and claw marks. ...  This fits in with reports of a large cat being seen in the grounds of Sundrum Castle back in May.


If the Sundrum Slasher does indeed turn out to be a puma it won't be the first one found wild in Scotland. 

...With any predator in the countryside you should never, ever turn and run because you then make yourself a prey. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Shrinking Scottish Sheep</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-05T07:30:40+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/shrinking-sheep.html#unique-entry-id-1</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/shrinking-sheep.html#unique-entry-id-1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[They've concluded that on average the sheep have shrunk in size by 5% over the last 24 years. 

...The reason is believed to be global warming having made Hirta a greener place with more food available.   That seems strange at first - you'd think that animals would be able to thrive and grow larger in a less hostile environment. ...  Previously the Soay sheep needed to gorge on what food was available during the summer in order to survive the harsh winters.   Now that more food is available for more of the year this is less necessary.   In addition smaller new born ewes can now survive their first winter, further reducing the average size of the flock.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Polphail &#x22;Ghost Village&#x22; to be Demolished</title><dc:creator>trevorm@fnapf.demon.co.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-28T11:06:16+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/polphail-ghost-village.html#unique-entry-id-0</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.streenge.com/news/index_files/polphail-ghost-village.html#unique-entry-id-0</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[After 35 years of sitting eerily empty on the Cowal Peninsula, the "ghost village" of Polphail (or Pollphail) is to be demolished.


...Since it was built in the 1970s nobody has lived there. 

...Polphail was originally intended to house 500 North Sea oil workers who were to build concrete oil rigs.   However the economic climate changed and concrete rigs fell out of fashion before the workers arrived. ...  Now it's to be demolished to make way for a new development of 270 properties.


...Over the years Polphail has been the basis of a number of conspiracy theories involving housing for a secret military base.]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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