text:
2006] [August 2006]
31 July 2006
Caithness Quilters - Another Successful Exhibition
Caithness Quilters held another successful exhibition during Wick Gala
week. The group have now moved onto the web by setting up
own web site. They will shortly set up another web site with
their own domain name.
Results Helpline to Open in August
As young people across the Highlands and Islands anxiously await their
exam results, Careers Scotland is urging pupils to remain calm and take
advantage of the Exam Results Helpline. Exam results will be posted
throughout Scotland in August, and experts from Careers Scotland will be
on standby to reassure callers and provide impartial advice. Standard and
Higher Grade exam results are due to arrive on Tuesday 8 August 2006 and
that morning Careers Scotland will open the Exam Results Helpline for
students who need professional advice before they take their next step.
More Action From Halkirk Highland Games
229 - 240
241 - 250
to Neil Buchan for the latest photos from the games
STRONGMAN IS FLOORED AT GAMES Daily Record
30 July 2006
Halkirk Highland Games 2006
193 - 204
205 - 216
217 - 228
Halkirk Highland Games 2006
157 - 168
169 - 180
181 - 192
Halkirk Highland Games 2006
121 - 132
133 - 144
145 - 156
Halkirk Highland Games 2006
85 - 96
97 - 108
109 - 120
Wick Pipe Band Week Fancy Dress Night - Another Film From
Latheron Show Clips From TV.Caithness.org
Wick Banger Derby
Halkirk Highland Games 2006
61 - 72
73 - 84
25 - 36
37 - 48
49 - 60
1 - 12
13 - 24
29 July 2006
Gala Week Programme and Photographs
Seven Gates At Wick Harbour Opened
the Seeven Gates at wick Harbour were launched last night in a ceremony
involving pupils from all of the schools who helped design the gates , the
artists sue Jane Taylor, Liz, O'Donnell and Shelagh Swanson. the
gates were made by local blacksmith Ian Sinclair. The gates tell the
story of Wick Harbour and are now guarding the salt cellars once used in
the heyday of the Herring industry. The townscape Heritage
Initiative Project commissioned the gates and the salt cellars are now
cared for by the Wick Society. the images on the gates were inspired by
stories of local history and folklore, capturing the dreams and memories
of ancestors as retold by members of the Wick Society.. The gates
are named - Port of the North - Superstitions - Ancient Myths - Roond ai
Harbour - The Phoenix - The Big Storm - Scorries. The gates tidy up
an area that had become very untidy over the years and join up with the
recently rebuilt Black Stairs round the corner.
Halkirk Highland Games Today
We are all off to the Halkirk highland Games today. March to the
field begins at about Noon. Some events begin in the morning with
the main events in the afternoon. Over 5000 people are expected to
attend as numbers have been growing in recent years.
Caithness is busy to day with the continental Market in Thurso until
Sunday and Wick Academy Plays Clachnacuddin at Harmsowrth Park. Wick
Gala continues with events today and finishes tonight at Riverside with
their usual big fireworks display barbecue and music included - all for a
donation in one of the tins circulating. Hope the kippers are as
tasty as always at the barby.
Wick Gala Golf Attracts Good Entry
open golf competition for Wick Gala Week at wick Golf Course attracted a
good entry this year with 75 men and 12 women playing two rounds a the
course which this year is in excellent condition. Good weather made
conditions just right with play finishing about 9.30pm. the results can be
found in the Sports Section
28 July 2006
Blessing Of The Fleet - Wick Gala
Sunday saw the annual ceremony of the "Blessing Of The Fleet".
Despite Wick's big fishing fleet days being in the past there are still a
few fishing boats and fishermen from Wick going to sea. The boats
still carry a Wick registration even though they mainly no longer land
much of their catch in Wick due to European rules that mean Wick is not
designated landing port - Europe finally put paid to Wick's long history
as big fishing port. Nevertheless a tradition with its roots back
past the days of the Herring Queen still continues each year in Wick Gala
when people pray for the safety of the fishing fleet and the fishermen who
risk their lives to bring the catch home.
Caithness In Festive and Continental Swing This Weekend
Caithness is a very busy place right now and this weekend has plenty
on offer for everyone. the Continental Market started yester
day in Thurso running from Thursday - Sunday
Halkirk Highland Games Tomorrow Saturday 29th July
Gala continues with several events today and this evening with a
treasure hunt, Wick Players with three comedies at Assembly Rooms,
the opening of the Salt Cellars at Wick Harbour with entertainment - music
and a barbecue - a another part of Wick given an unusual make-over.
Fayre in Market Square on Saturday, Pipe Band parade and the Fireworks and
Barbecue at the Riverside. Check out our Whats On for more
today and
Sunday continues with John O'Groats Harbour Day. And
along the way keep an eye out on the coast for whales and dolphins being
spotted daily at the moment.
27 July 2006
The Caithness Store Wars
Tesco Site Level At Wick - Work To Go On Despite Coop Legal Moves
will carry on at the Tesco site at Wick despite the Coop legal attempts to
get the planning decision over-turned. The Co-operative Group (CWS) are
now asking for Judicial Review of the Highland council planning decision
to allow Tesco to build a new store at Wick. The matter has now been
scheduled to be heard on 5 and 6 October in the Court of Session in
Edinburgh. The Coop are challenging the accuracy of the Retail Impact
Assessment which had the general support of planning officials. In
addition there is also a question being posed by them over the size of the
car parking arrangements. Tesco have indicated there would be no
slow-down in the building work and the site is now cleared and ready for
foundations to begin. The topic arose in the Caithness.org forum
earlier today -
See the
debate so far
Meantime the Asda petition has reached 2853 There is also
a possibility that the Asda case to be heard on 16 August at the Planning
Committee in Inverness may be deferred as the outcome of the decision at
the Court of Session might have some bearing on the decision as it also
rests on a Retail Impact Assessment. That will be for councillors to
decide on the day.
Only Two Days Until Halkirk
Highland Games - Saturday 29th July
Halkirk Highland Games are almost upon us once again. We will be
there taking photos and this year the crowds will be boosted by a Clan
Gunn gathering somewhat larger than usual. Gunn's from several
countries are currently checking out their ancestral places in Orkney and
Caithness and will converge on Halkirk on Saturday to join what is
increasingly one of the busiest and biggest games in the north. With
prize money for events the biggest ever offered the competitions will be
hard fought. See you there....
Trinkathon A Big Hit As Sun Shines On In Caithness
Sunday 23rd July 2006 was successful day for organisers of Annual
Trinkathon, warm weather ensured a very good turnout and Ł531 was raised
towards future maintenance and equipment. David Hall representing the
Royal Mail was on hand to present the North Bath Cup [won this
year by the Trinkie team] this cup was generously donated by the Royal
Sutherland Venue For Northern Sheep Event
Lamb grading, sheep health, production systems and easycare sheep are
among the topics to be discussed at North Sheep an open day for the sheep
industry which is due to be held on Thursday the 10th August 2006, at
Kirkton Farm by Melvich, Sutherland, by the kind permission of Messers W
Findlayon. This free event which starts at 1.00pm has been organised by
SAC and is supported by European Social Fund (ESF), Highlands and islands
Enterprise (HIE), Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), Quality Meat
Scotland (QMS).
Tall Bike Tour Of Britain Reaches Scarkskerry
young men are on a 4500 mile tour of the UK coast to raise money for
charities. The tour will take nearly five months averaging 50 miles a day.
The men Will Stevens, Ed Stevens and Michael Garnett sit high in the
saddle with their heads about eight feet off the ground. The style of bike
originates from Chicago where they were once used for lighting street
lamps. They are now over in Orkney but will be back for the Halkirk
Highland Games on Sat 29th July before they head south again.
Tall Bike
Tour Web Site
MS Boudicca Cruise Ship In Thurso Bay Yesterday
MS Boudicca was in Thurso Bay and passengers embarked at Scrabster for
sight seeing in Thurso andother places in Caithnesss including the castle
of Mey. Sea taxis plied back and forth all day carrying up to 120
passengers each time. MSD Boudicca can carry up to 900 passengers and has
a crew of 320. The ship was built in 1973 and had a major refit completed
in 2006. The ship weighs 28,338 tonnes. On board are three out door
swimming pools, sauna, 2 jacuzzis, a fitness centre". Entertainment is
provided in a show lounge, casino and there is a library and dining can be
in any one of 6 restaurants and eateries.
26 July 2006
Sets Out Year Of Progress To Decommission Dounreay
first annual report on progress to decommission the former experimental
reactor site at Dounreay is published today. Dounreay Review 2005/06 has
been produced by UKAEA, the body carrying out the safe clean-up and
dismantling of the 140-hectare site. Its publication covers the 12-month
period since April 1, 2005, when UKAEA's clean-up role changed to that of
a contractor to the new Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
To see the full 20 page report
Click Here (Pdf file)
Wick Banger Derby - The Movie - From TV.Caithness.org
you could not make it on the day or missed some of the racing here is
compilation of some of the action from the Wick Banger Derby. We will have
it linked in TV.Caithness.org
shortly. You can adjust the size of the film - look for the
small black arrow at the bottom to change the size. You can download
the movie if you want to keep it - FREE. If you have any nice
digital clips from Caithness and would like to share them you can add them
to Google and let us know the link.. If you cannot do it yourself
get in touch and we may get it on for you. All we need is a DVD with
the digital clips.
Basking Shark Hanging Around In Thurso Bay
certainly seems to be a good year for whale, shark and dolphin sightings
in the far north with many reports locally. The Caithness coast has been
no exception with lots of reports Basking sharks have had at least 60
reported off off the west coast in late June. Its been busy in
Thurso bay with good sightings of Common dolphins on Monday in the bay.
Rissos dolphins were spotted on Friday evening.
For what you might spot off the Caithness coast see
Wind power dilemma for Lewis - BBC
This item on the BBC web site sets out the problem of wind farms for Lewis
where Europe's biggest wind farm is proposed. But the same arguments
may well apply on both sides to Caithness and Sutherland. With the
Caithness population predicted by all official predictions to fall
drastically do we need to grasp any opportunity for investment or is the
price too high. The Western Isles may now be wrestling with the
biggest wind farm proposal but Caithness has many wind farm applications
at various stages in planning. whether Western Isles or Caithness
and Sutherland the wind blows strong in our areas. With traditional
industries in decline and decommissioning now gathering pace in Caithness
do we want wind farms to be part of the solution? Jobs & Community
Benefits versus Views and Changes in the Landscape?
Wind Farms Index
Wind Turbine Applications as at December 2005 The people
against wind farms are very well organised now but do they represent the
majority? Have your say on the
Message Board.
Thurso High 83
- 84 6th Year
by Kim McColm in connection with the
Thurso High 1978 Reunion
on Saturday 29th July at the
Park Hotel,
Main Reunion Pages
New Links for the Western Isles
Sunday Services Introduced
Air services to and from and within the Western Isles are to be
further improved with the news announced today that Highland Airways is
to directly link Benbecula with Inverness, and increase frequency on its
Stornoway -Inverness services. The enhancement includes the addition of a
new lunchtime rotation between Inverness and Stornoway each weekday and
a flight on Sundays to provide more comprehensive weekend travel options
between the two centres. The times of existing services will be varied
slightly as a result of the additional rotations.
25 July 2006
Cycle Races At the Riverside For Wick Gala
Wick Gala Gymkhana
Caithness.org Breaks One Million Hits Per Day Barrier As Wick Gala
Traffic Surges
The web site traffic surged to new heights over the past two days
taking the site to the biggest daily totals ever. Both of the past
two days have broken through the one million hits per day total. The
numbers for the past two days are -
Sunday 23 July - Hits 1,053,981 Visitors 25,299 Pages 410,684
Monday 24 July - Hits 1,102,320 Visitors 26,761 Pages 400,285
July has already exceeded all previous months and the month is not yet
completed. The hit rate has tripled since Sunday.
Count Down To The Thurso High 1978 Reunion On
Saturday 29 July
Only a few days now to the Thurso High 1978 Reunion. If you still haven't
bought your tickets yet - time and tickets are running out fast. Tickets
cost Ł15 each and are on sale at Shear Genius, Hairdressers in Princes
Street, Thurso or are available from any of the organisers direct. List of
people attending is shown on the reunion page.
24 July 2006
Lady Thurso Opened The Art Exhibition For Wick Gala Week
Thurso opened the art exhibition for Wick Gala Week. The exhibition
is on until Thursday at Wick Youth Club. The exhibition is now in
its third year. Lady Thurso recalled her "Weeker" connections from her
days at school and earlier art exhibitions from her past. Many of
the works on display are for sale and can be collected at the end of the
exhibition. Well worth a look to see what great work local artists
Floral Art and Veggie Beastie Winners In Wick Gala Week
two competitions were judges on Saturday as part of Wick Gala Week and the
winners were on display at the Art exhibition at Wick Youth Club
Gala Week Programme
Wick Gala 2006
397 - 408
409 - 420
Wick Gala 2006
349 - 360
361 - 372
373 - 384
385 - 396
Wick Gala 2006
301 - 312
313 -324
325 - 336
337 - 348
Wick Gala 2006
253 - 264
265 - 276
277 - 288
289 - 300
Wick Gala 2006
217 - 228
229 - 240
241 - 252
23 July 2006
Wick Gala 2006
169 - 180
181 - 192
193 - 204
205 - 216
Wick Gala 2006
145 - 156
157 - 168
Wick Gala 2006
97 - 108
109 - 120
121 - 132
133 - 144
Wick Gala 2006
49 - 60
61 - 72
73 - 84
85 - 96
Wick Gala 2006
1 - 12
13 - 24
25 - 36
37 - 48
22 July 2006
South School Win Liam Henderson Memorial Junior Five-a-side Competition
In a scene reminiscent of the world Cup the junior five-aside competition
ran to a nail biting finish. At the end of the final between South
School and Keiss & Canisbay the score stood at 3 - 3. On to
penalties and after five shots each the penalty score was 4 - 4.
Finally in the sudden death shoot out Keiss & Canisbay missed their next
shot to hand victory to South School. The competition was judged to
be of a very high standard with some great play in all the matches.
From a short list of some fine players Eddie MacGregor was chosen as "man
of the match" for the day. Despite the mist that covered Wick today
the players had a few fine games and made excellent entertaining football
for the spectators. Well done to players and the organisers.
Wick High Reunion - Ages 54 - 56 Friday Night in Mackays Hotel
20 July 2006
Gala Week Programme Bigger Than Ever
Wick Gala
Floral Art Competition -
Saturday 22 July 2006
There is still time to enter the Wick Gala Floral Art competition.
kids ask your mum for some old fruit and veg or flowers etc and get a
picture made for Saturday and hand it in to Wick Youth Club at 11.00am.
See what the categories are inside.
Caravan And Camping
Site At Wick Reopened
The caravan and camping site is once again open
for business after much work by Mr & Mrs Miller cutting grass, clearing
rubbish painting and bringing in new picnic tables and flower baskets not to
mention all new electric hook-ups etc. The Wick caravan and camping site is
set in an ideal location near the Wick river and just a few minutes walk
into Wick for shops, meals etc.
Most Looked
Up Caithness Business Pages
The wonders of the web now allow us to show you which pages are the most
looked up in our Caithness Business Pages. It will come as no
surprise to that property and related business such as solicitors and
estate agents followed by tourist industry businesses are in the top
categories. Nothing too much should be read into the all time
listing at the moment as it does not go back yet but will change over time.
New businesses may tend to feature as people seek them out to find contact
details etc. Other recent developments on the Business Pages include a
section for all the latest changes in the left column showing which
businesses have had their page changed or added to the site.
Yesterday 19 July saw 4,516 visitors to the Caithness Business Pages
looking up 23,291 pages. In the last 12 month the Caithness Business
pages have had an incredible 8.7 million pages looked up with the month on
month trend continuing to rise. If you are a Caithness Business make sure
your details are up to date.
Sutherland Business pages are also on a similar rise and we will
be making upgrades to that web site shortly.
19 July 2006
Ian Thompson And Family On Holiday In Caithness
Thurso Acks
Receive Ł300 Donation From Dounreay Companies
The UKAEA, supported
by AMEC and CH2MHILL, on behalf of NDA have recently made a donation to
the Thurso Acks Football Club to assist them with expenses during the
football season. Players from the Thurso Acks are pictured here before a
recent match receiving their sponsorship from Gemma Macdonald, UKAEA.
Caithness And Sutherland Enterprise Approvals - June 2006
Among the grants made to businesses or community groups in June were -
Precision Machining Services, Castletown, purchase of specialist
equipment, Ł18,000; JGC Engineering and Technical Services, Harpsdale,
development of new markets for T3UK at Janetstown, Ł4,926; Think Happy
Ltd, Wick, development of new markets for a range of organic hair and
beauty products, Ł70,000, Jennifer Redgate, Castletown, Creative
Sketchbooks online course, Ł500; Sutherland Brothers, Wick, two-year
workforce development plan, Ł3,301; Casper Club, Castletown, three-year
workforce development plan, Ł8,355, Caithness Archaeology Trust, Dunbeath,
development post for the 'River of Stone' project, Ł19,300; Caithness
Small-Bore Rifle Club, Thurdistoft, Caithness Scottish Open event, Ł4,295;
Highland Wildcat Trails, Golspie, mountain bike event at Ben Bhraggie in
Retailers In Dempster Street, Wick Taking On The Competition
shops in Dempster Street, Wick have taken on a different look recently
with a flurry of activity. There is no lack of confidence from these
established and new shop-keepers in this easy to park in street. The
butchers shop closed and is now occupied by
Amanda's florists a new business opened following the retiral of
the owner of Four Seasons. Four Season shop has now been taken over
Secrets Lingerie.
Gift House and
Polteny News are as busy as ever.
Harpers the home decorators have now expanded into furniture and
are gradually increasing stock into the floors in their building.
Are these guys frightened of the big new stores on the periphery of Wick?
You bet your life they are not and seem to be getting busier by the day.
What next for Dempster Street In Wick?. In fact Dempster Street
seems to be just small snapshot of what is happening around Wick with
premises being snapped up for new ventures or changes of ownership making
for changes in the shopping around the town.
Plans lodged for Inverness Asda - BBC
In two additional applications Elphinstone Land have applied to build a
hotel, medical centre and 51 houses.
Latest Caithness Planning Applications
Planning Application To Change Lorne Restaurant To Flats - (Pdf
Lorne restaurant in Bank Row, Wick near the Heritage Centre has been
unused for several years and an application has been lodged to turn it
into two flats.
New Cafe - change Of Use Applied For At Whaligoe
Application For House At Occumster with Wind Generator
10 New Semi Detached Houses for Park Lane, Thurso
New Restaurant and Food Outlet for Princes Street, Thurso
Latest Building Warrants Granted
Asda Petition Still Rising - 2822 Signatures at 9.15am
The Asda Debate
The Papers
Deep water windfarm 'key to EU energy plans'
18 July 2006
Whitegate Broch, Keiss Excavation July 2006
Broch is being excavated by a team under the leadership of Dr Andy Heald
of the National Museum of Scotland with students from Nottingham
university and local amateur archaeologists. The two brochs at Keiss
harbour are under investigation with the larger dig being concentrated on
the Whitegate broch. The project has the full support of the
Caithness Archaeological Trust.
Open Day - Saturday 22 July - See It all for Yourself
The team are inviting members of the public to an open day on Saturday
22 July between 1.00pm and 4.00pm to view the site and hear what
they have discovered to date. Free tours will take place.
Brochs Index
Highland Council's door to door consultation about the forthcoming
ballot on transferring council houses to the not-for-profit organisation,
Highland Housing Association (HHA) draws to a close this week. The
end of the latest stage in the Council's information campaign comes as the
Minister for Communities Malcolm Chisholm visits the area to see how
tenants could benefit if they vote to transfer their home to HHA later
this year. The Minister's tour of the region includes visits to
several affordable housing projects in the Highlands which are being
funded through the Community Ownership Programme (COP). Mr Chisholm
said: "Community ownership offers a real opportunity for people and
communities in the Highlands.
Looking For Places To Stay In North West Sutherland
Joanne B Kaar a Caithness based paper maker has sent the following
request -
"I have been appointed as the artist-in-residence for Durness/Cape Wrath
area. It's a 3 month residency, and I will arrive in Durness on Friday
21st July. I have managed (just last night!) to get accommodation for
the final 2 months of my residency in one of the static caravans at the
Sango Sands campsite. But am still looking for accommodation for the
first 3 1/2 weeks." There are 2 other artists who will also be working
in Sutherland for 3 months each, they are both looking for
accommodation! Self-catering is preferred for all.......but anything is
Caithness Beef Group Get Up to Speed on Production Efficiency
The change in farm support away from direct headage payments means
that livestock producers need to improve efficiencies in production and
not rely on the single farm payment to prop up the business. Learning new ideas and implementing
these ideas is the way forward. And, for members of the Caithness and
Sutherland Beef Group there was an opportunity to do just that on 12th
July at Rattar Mains near Dunnet, Caithness. In the near future a sheep group will
be established and producers interested in
attending should contact David Brewster at the above address.
Reunion Approaching Fast For Wick High 54 - 56 - 21
Another reunion for this group and unbelievably the first time as reunion
is now on their second time around after five years on Caithness.org LAST
17 July 2006
Farr Junior
Five-a-side Winners
row left to right are Stephen Mackay, Dean Munro, Alan Swaile
Front row Lewis Appleton (Goal keeeper) and Matthew Mackay (brother of
They get to keep the trophy for the year, (they have to get in engraved)
and they each got a medal and a pass to north coast leisure for a free
Wick Pipe Band At Dunbeath Castle Gardens Open Day
Pipe Band has busy schedule right through the summer and yesterday were
playing at the Dunbeath Castle gardens open day. Dunbeath Castle is
private residence and not open to the public. It does however open
the gardens a couple times each year with the proceeds going to charities.
the castle sits on a spectacular cliff top setting and can easily be seen
from along the coast and especially from Dunbeath Harbour.
Dunbeath Castle
Wick Pipe Band
The band runs summer shows every Wednesday evening at 8.00pm
Tickets Sent Out For Thurso High 1978 Reunion
The tickets for the reunion on 29 July have been sent out. If you
still want to attend contact the organisers right now.
Keep On Walking This Summer
The walks on this list will not only help to keep you fit but take you to
lots of interesting places in Caithness and Sutherland. We are half
way through this summer programme but there is still plenty left to see
over coming months and the walks vary in length and the time they take.
If you are unsure about any just contact the Rangers who will tell you of
any problems or give more details about the particular routes. Many
are relatively short last only a couple of hours and you will see many
parts of the coast or inland areas accompanied by someone who can point
out many of the features.
16 July 2006
165th Caithness County Show 2006
15 July 2006
Photos from the County Show Will Start To Appear On
Sunday Morning
A Beautiful Day For The 165th County Show At
All the usual attractions and a few new ones. the new ones
include bungee running, a cookery demonstration using Caithness produce,
Donkey rides. The flower show reaches its 40th year and a large
entry is expected for the dog show. the day ends with a buffet
dance in the Weigh Inn. Livestock judging begins at 9.30am.
Around the show will be a fleece competition, sheep sheering competition
and full programme of sports including children's races, hackney
carriage driving, sheaf tossing and much much more..... we are off
shortly (its now 7.55am - hope to see you there...........
Photos coming on Sunday and maybe few tonight. See
14 July 2006
Wick Rotary Club Raises Over Ł1200 For Riding For The Disabled At Scottish
Ross topped the bill with his haunting style of piano playing with its
distinctive Scottish tones. At one point he was accompanied by Ali
Leith and Jeana Leslie both studying music at the royal Scottish Academy
of Music and Drama. Other acts included Highland Dancing, Caithness
Junior Pipers and Ian and Anne Moncrieff. The evening was a big
success and numbers were swelled by a party of Americans who are currently
touring Scotland. the total raised in the evening which included a
raffle and silent auction was just over Ł1200.
Caithness Kids On Exciting Glass Course During Lybster Glass Week
few lucky Caithness kids are enjoying an unusual summer holiday activity
learning about glass. They are on a two day activity course
Kilnforming for Kids under the expert tuition of Michael Bullen who worked
for some years on the glass restoration of Lincoln cathedral and other
tutors at the Northlands Creative Glass centre based in Lybster. The
course has been supported by the National Lottery, Scottish Arts Council and by
Bullseye Glass
of Portland Oregon who run an educational outreach programme.
Bullseye glass have generously donated a large quantity of glass,
over ton of which was sent in large wooden crates over the Atlantic to
Lybster for the use of the centre in its educational courses.
Northlands have been running the courses since Sunday running two two day
course since Sunday leading on to the Kids course. Northlands hope
to run another Lybster Glass Week next summer and perhaps extend it as it has
proved extremely popular this year with the courses all being booked up.
the kids complete their course today and will be taking home the glass
creations they have made over the two days.
13 July 2006
Radio-active Particles In The Marine Environment
An independent report on the views of people in Caithness and north
Sutherland about radioactive particles in the marine environment has been
published. The report summarises the feedback from more than 400 people
who took part in a series of information-gathering events ahead of formal
consultation later this year on the options for dealing with the
particles. Bill Fernie, Chairman of the External Particles Consultation
Steering Group, which was set up to oversee the transparency of the
consultation process said "The Steering Group welcomes the publication of
the UKAEA's response and is satisfied that the first part of the
consultation has been carried out in a transparent way. The Steering Group
believes that this is groundbreaking work involving members of the public
at such an early stage and we look forward to being kept abreast of
progress and ensuring that UKAEA continue in this vein through the
programme of consultation.
Dounreay Items On Caithness.org
Recent Dounreay News Items
Almost 1700 People Visited The Isabelle Fortuna At The Portsoy Boat
sea-going ambassador the "Isabella Fortuna" was one of the big hits at the
Portsoy boat festival. Nearly 1700 people visited the vessel in the
two days of the festival . This was taster in advance of 2007 for
the vessel that was restored by the Wick society and now makes regular
trips out to sea and is often to be seen coming in and out of Wick bay.
She sits most of the time in Wick harbour where the members of the society
have carried out much of the restoration work over the years. The
whole flotilla leaves from Wick next year and should be a wonderful sight
in the harbour and down the Caithness coast. Events will be laid on
for their stay at Wick and should make Wick harbour perhaps briefly look
as busy as she once was. It will certainly be great photo
opportunity to see the harbour once again packed with boats. The
Wick Society also runs
Wick Heritage
Museum - open Mon - Sat
More Photos Of Museum
Oil :
We're Addicted - New Statesman
Should we all put the car away a day or two a week or more before we
cannot afford to run it at all. Perhaps that would help to bring the
price down. And have you got your house as highly insulated as you can
before next winter comes as power companies are threatening that gas and
electricity prices are going to go up again before the winter starts.
As for heating oil well the price seems to be going ever upwards at the
moment with oil at $75 a barrel. Better get knitting the woollies.
Wick Pipe Band Week Fancy Dress Night Brought Out The Crowds
Petition Stands At 2796 and Still Rising
The Asda Debate
12 July 2006
Photos From Halkirk Heritage And Vintage Motor Society Opening Day
are some photos from the opening day of the Halkirk Heritage and Vintage
Motor Society's opening of their summer exhibition. Something is
definitely happening in Halkirk these past few years what with the most
successful Highland Games going from strength to strength, announcements
about what looks likely to be the biggest sports centre in the north of
Scotland and now they are putting on this great exhibition. Well
done to all concerned and it looks like this years highland Games are
going to be bigger than ever with the arrival from all over the world this
year of even more Gunns for their clan visit. Check the what's On
for opening times.
See This Is
All 24-tenant organisations throughout the Highlands are to be invited by
the Highland Housing Association to attend their management committee
meetings. This invitation by Highland Housing Association, the new not for
profit organisation, set up to take over the ownership and management of
The Highland Council's housing stock, is the result of the management
committee's recent statement committing the organisation to openness and
accountability. The management committee firmly believes that by providing
opportunities for tenants, tenants organisations and local community
groups to be involved in and to influence decision making will uphold the
principles of openness, accountability, equal opportunities and best
Thurso Surf
School Presents O'Neill Go Surfing Days - Summer 2006
up this summer in Caithness with an O'Neill sponsored event run by Thurso
Surf School. The event is scheduled to take place throughout July and
august and will be operating 7 days a week subject to favourable swell
conditions. Those interested in coming through for a surf lesson during
July and August will receive a discounted lesson at Ł25 per person and a
free O'Neill goody bag.
If you want more inspiration and a look at what surfing in Caithness can
be like - and its rapidly getting a reputation as one of the best places
in Europe for consistently good waves. Check out the web site that
was set up for the recent
O'Neill Highland Open Click on to
the page of videos shot in Caithness and see for yourself
and think about getting ready to enter this competition sure to be back in
Caithness in coming years. Even if you are not a surfer take a look
at these videos to see why Caithness has got what it takes for
surfing.....and there is hardly anyone on those waves for most of the year
but it might be different in years to come. Why not try it out with
Thurso Surf in the next few weeks.
Wick Gala Week 2006 - Art
Exhibition -
22 - 29 July
Wick Gala Art Exhibition will once again be held in Wick Youth Club
From Sat 22 July until Thursday 27 July. Items for display to be
handed in on 20 July between 2.00pm and 5.00pm at Wick Youth Club. Details will be sent to previous exhibitors
but new exhibitors should contact Marjory Mackenzie, 19 Smith
Terrace, Wick.
11 July 2006
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - A New Film
A trailer promising
more to come from the
Live To Die Society - check it out now via
Other film clips coming soon to TV.Caithness.org include the Wick
Banger Derby, Horse Shoeing at Latheron Show, Wick Pipe Band Fancy Dress
Have you got some interesting Caithness digital video available and want
it on the web. Get in touch and we may be able to help you get it
Caithness and
Sutherland Vintage Vehicles Club 2006 Rally
The annual Caithness And Sutherland Vintage Vehicles Rally took place at
John O'Groats with an increased entry and some vehicles travelling
considerable distances to enter.
Pro Nuclear Group To See Prime Minister Tony Blair On Wednesday 12 July
A group of people representing many workers in the nuclear industry
will present Prime Minister Tony Blair with a petition and letters in
support of the retaining the nuclear option for the production of
electricity in the UK. John Deighan UKAEA Dounreay will be
one of four delegates to meet the Prime Minister. The others are
Stuart McGhie British Energy, John L Rogerson Chapelcross, Howard D Rooms
BNFL. John Deighan UKAEA Dounreay will also deliver a letter
from the Thurso and Wick Trade Union Council. A further letter from the Chamber of Commerce will also
be handed over to the Prime minister.
Mey Hall Sponsored Cycle Raises Ł1700 For New Hall Project
Mey hall committee held a sponsored cycle on Sunday when twenty four
cyclists took part and raised around Ł1,700. The sponsored cycle
is one of many fund raising events the hall committee are running in
their bid to get enough for new hall. They were recently awarded
a grant from the Big lottery along with Keiss Hall. However they
still require to raise half the money from other sources.
Mey Hall Committee also recently launched a new web site
Labour Party
Announces List Candidates For Highlands and Islands In 2007 Election
Following the Scottish Executive Committee meeting of the Scottish
Labour Party, the full ordered list ranking for the Highlands and
Islands has been published. Peter Peacock currently education minister
and Rhoda Grant formerly an MSP (1999 - 2003) are the numbers one and
two on the list for
Highlands and Islands -
1. Peter Peacock - 2. Rhoda Grant - 3. David Stewart - 4. Christine
Conniff - 5. Michael Macmillan - 6. Dawn Graham - 7. Simon Harrison.
2007 Elections Index
Scottish Council elections and Scottish Parliament election will be held
on the same day. All of the counts will for the first time be held
in Inverness meaning no counts in Wick due to the introduction of
electronic counting machines. The results of the council elections may
not be completed until the second day after the elections as the
Scottish Parliament count will be done first.
March Of The Highlanders At Thurso
couple of weeks ago the Highlanders 4th Battalion marched through a
number of Highland towns. Here at Thurso Ross Mackay managed to
get on board an armoured vehicle. The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The
Royal Regiment of Scotland, can trace their roots back to five Regiments
raised in the late 18th century, including The Duke of Albany's Own, The
Ross-shire Buffs, and of course The 92nd Gordon Highlanders. Over the
last 200 years, the Army has evolved to reflect the ever-changing
military environment. The reorganisation of the Army saw the creation
of The Seaforth Highlanders, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and The
Gordon Highlanders while the draw-down of the Empire through the late
1950s saw the formation of The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and
Camerons) in 1961, and "Options for Change" saw the creation of The
Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) in 1994. Throughout this
long history, The Highlanders have amassed numerous battle honours and
been deployed all over the world. Most recently operations have included
tours of Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Iraq and exercises in
Kenya, Belize, Canada and Norway. The Royal Regiment of Scotland was
created on 28 March 2006, with the The Highlanders now forming the 4th
Battalion in a structure designed to most effectively respond to the
needs of the country and soldier alike. Many historic elements remain,
however, including the distinctive blue hackle of the Highlanders, the
recruiting area, and the name. The Highlanders are now based in
Fallingbostel, Germany, as part of the 7th Armoured Brigade (The Desert
Rats) and have re-rolled to use the Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle
which will be on display at the Freedom ceremony. The Warrior is fitted
with some of the Army's most modern equipment and provided firepower,
protection and mobility for the Battalion on their recent deployment to
Basrah and Al Amarah in Southern Iraq. It was used for numerous duties
including the training and mentoring of the fledgling Iraq security
Hey Kids In Thurso - If Its Wet check This Out
Workshops running every day for another couple of weeks - at Ormlie
- under 9s attend from 11.30 am - 1.00 pm whilst the over 9s are from 2.00
- 3.30 pm. Programmes and consent forms are available from the Ormlie
Office - 01847 891789 . Enrolment costs Ł1.00 per child and 50p per
Halkirk Tug O
War Team 2006 Scottish Champions In Two Weights
Tug O' War team returned from the Stirling Games on Sunday 9th July as
Scottish Champions in two weight categories. The 680kg title was retained
and the 640kg title was added this year. The lads just missed out on a
hat-trick of titles after losing in the final of the 720kg weight.
Well done lads - a great effort.
Sport Index
10 July 2006
Fortuna From Wick Was At Portsoy
Fortuna sailed to Portsoy for the Flotilla of traditional boats. In
2007 the flotilla will leave from Wick and Isabella Fortuna will be joined
by a growing number of boats setting out to arrive in Portsoy on 1 July
2007. The boats will sail close to the beaches of Brora, Nairn and
Burhead. and call in at Lybster, Helmsdale, Invergordon, Cromarty and
Buckie taking part in traditional music and dance events. Already
over 20 boats are signed up to make the trip and more coming along so by
end of June 2007 there may be quite fleet ready to sail from Wick.
One of the largest fishing boats from the old Shetland fleet - the Swan
will be there. The sights from the Caithness coast will be like
stepping back in time. The First big party will be in Wick so make a
date to get to Wick for an unforgettable sight as the flotilla leaves
harbour. We will post more information about this great celebration of our
older boats as we get it.
Dunnet Play Group at the
Caithness County Show On Saturday 15th July
Scrabster Farm, Thurso
Come along and play at the County Show......Magician / children's
entertainer will be at the Play area set up by the Play Group and children
can be left for a period.
See Last Years County Show At Wick and remember its at Scrabster
this year. See you all on Saturday
Hee Haw Donkeys At The Latheron Show
If You Happen To Be Heading Bettyhill Way
- North Sutherland - Kids Camp
Farr High School is the place this summer for lots of activities. See
HERE for more details.
Booking form
HERE runs Monday 10 - 14th July. We just got it in.
Just phone or take pot luck and turn up if in the area.
Tickets for Wick Rotary Scottish Musical Evening With James Ross Now
The concert is to raise funds for new sound system for Riding for the
Disable Group in Caithness. The concerts is to be held in
Mackays Hotel on Thursday 13 July at 7.00pm. tickets are
available from Reid's Chemist, Wick or pay at the door - cost Ł5.
Artists include Guest - James Ross, International Accordionist
and Pianist - Anne & Ian Moncrieff - Folk Music - Wick RBLS Junior Pipers
- Ailsa and Kaitlin Bogle - Highland Dancing and Piper. Other
features of the evening will be a Silent Auction - items - Child and Adult
size fishing rods - Very large cuddly toy - Various bottles of whisky -
Wax Hand treatment kit - and lots of other items. Also a raffle.
the aim is to raise Ł700 to help the group buy their sound system.
Petition At 2765 at 12.20pm
Wick Banger Derby
9 July 2006
Latheron Show 2006
8 July 2006
Clips From Pipe
Band Week Now On TV.Caithness.org
few clips from one of the evening performances by Wick Pipe Band and the
some of the young dancers.. If anyone has any digital film of any
local events we would be happy to add it to the section.
7 July 2006
Thurso Town Improvements Bringing Continental
Market To Thurso Pre Gala
Town Improvements have set there sites higher and higher in the last
couple of years. This year in addition to adding new events and a
Big Gig Bands day there will also be visit from the continental Market
that has been in Wick a couple of times. The dates for the market
are Thursday 27th July to Sunday 30th July in Thurso Pedestrian
See the Market in Wick in May 2006
Thurso Gala runs from 5th - 13th August Thurso is going to
be busier for a few weeks.
Retinopathy Screening Goes Mobile - Seen Here At Wick Today
Highland's Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Programme has gone mobile,
benefiting the 7500 diabetes patients in Highland who need to be
screened. Diabetic Retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness
in the working age population, and everyone with diabetes is at risk of
developing this condition, which fortunately can usually be successfully
treatable if detected early when at an asymptomatic stage. NHS Highland
now has two dedicated digital retinal cameras used for diabetic
retinopathy screening. One is based in the Diabetes Retinal Screening
Centre at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, and the other in a fully
equipped self contained mobile unit which will be travelling widely to
other outlying areas throughout Highland. The Diabetic Retinopathy
Mobile Unit was at Wick On 7 July 2006.
Call to replace Dounreay jobs as site faces closure - The Herald
Wick Pipe Band Ladies Busking In Wick
from Wick Pipe Band showed off their talents in Wick by holding an
afternoon concert of their own. These ladies have bags of talent
and lot of experience going in some cases right back to the
Wick Girls Pipe Band
A 15 Mile Sponsored Cycle To Help Mey Hall Funds
a fundraising event, to raise money towards the hall renovation project,
on Sunday 9 July. a sponsored bike ride (15 miles) leaving the
Castle Arms Hotel at 10.00 am. The route will go through Scarfskerry,
Rattar, Barrock and then we will take the High Road down to Gills, then
along the coast road and back to the Castle Arms Hotel. All
welcome who would like to come along and do the bike ride and raise some
money for the hall.
Asda Petition Now At 2724 At 4.45pm
Bands At The
Dammies 13 August - End Of Thurso Gala Week
you couldn't get tickets for "T in e Park"! Never mind head for e
Dammies in Thurso on 13th August from Noon until 10.00pm for 10 bands
playing all day. FREE with donations for Gala and Hospital.
Pulteneytown People's Project Summer School
Pulteneytown People's Project Summer School will be running for three
weeks from the 3rd – 21st of July at Wick High School from 9.00am –
5.00pm . The Summer School is open to children aged 5 – 14 years and
offers affordable child care for working parents as well as fun filled
days for any children who are looking for activities during the summer
Postmen banned from coast path – after 100 years - Times Online
6 July 2006
1220 Businesses
And Organisations Now Listed In Our Caithness Business Index
Make sure your business is listed in the Caithness Business Index.
Listings are Free and you can also add a small photo and
description for no charge. 430 of the businesses or
organisations also have links to their web site or web page either of
their own or on our pages. Make sure you can be found and keep
your information up to date by using the online form to notify changes.
641,415 look ups were made to the Caithness Business index in June
alone. You can get a higher profile by adding a
ad or have feature article to advertise sales or changes to your
business. Over 21 million pages in the Caithness.org group were viewed
in the 6 months to June 2006 giving our advertisers a very high profile
on the web both locally and further afield.
Fines Of Up To Ł1000 for Anyone found Abusing the Disabled Blue Badge
Parking Scheme
Tough new measures to stamp out abuse of the blue badge parking scheme
for disabled people will come into force on 29 September 2006.
Police, traffic wardens, local authority parking attendants and civil
enforcement officers will be able to inspect blue badges as part of
their other parking enforcement functions. It will be an offence if a
person refuses, without reasonable excuse, to produce a badge for
inspection - punishable on conviction by a fine of up to Ł1,000.
Orkney And Shetland Ferry Contract
The six year contract for lifeline ferry services to Orkney and Shetland
has been awarded to Northlink Ferries Ltd. The company
takes over today having been formed following the appointment of
Caledonian MacBrayne, ferry provider on the west coast of Scotland, as
preferred bidder in March.
The Hamnavoe currently operates from Scrabster on the run to Stromness
in Orkney. Basically its business as usual with Caledonian
MacBrayne who already own Northlink.
Historic Scotland's Support For The Voluntary Sector - A
The voluntary sector is a core part of Scottish community life. The
draft operational policy paper invites views on Historic Scotland's
policies and plans for providing support for the voluntary sector.
the consultation runs from 1 July to 30 September 2006. If
you have any views on the subject let them know.
The Consultation Paper
MSP Jaimie McGrigor:
"Thurso Mart closure might not be last"
Responding to news that
Mart is to close, Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP Jamie
McGrigor said: "While there is still a market at Quoybrae, and Caithness
Livestock Breeders run a collection service, this is a sad decision for
Thurso which has a long and proud tradition as a livestock market town."
"This decision is an example of the general malaise in farming since
devolution and is resultant of the mismanagement of agriculture, and the
rural community in general, by the Liberal Democrat/Labour partners.
"Prices have continued to fall while farmers' costs have risen, and the
Scottish Executive's only response has been to heap increased regulatory
burdens on an already over-burdened farming sector.
Hot List
Of Volunteering Opportunities
Copper Counter
Committee members of Wick and Thurso Gala are looking for volunteers to
"count pennies" on the Sunday following "Float Night". This will be
Sunday 23rd July for Wick Gala organisers and Sunday August 6th For
Thurso Gala organisers.
Chest Heart and Stroke require Volunteer Drivers
The local organiser based in Thurso, is urgently needing volunteers, and
particularly drivers to help with the transport of their clientele.
Transport training is available to volunteers aged between 25-70 years
of age.
Distance Befriending for the Highlands
Distance befriending are looking for volunteers to participate in a new
scheme which offers a secure home based befriending service for people
facing physical, geographical or social isolation.
Latest Pets
In Pets Corner
Musical Evening By Wick Rotary Club In Aid Of Riding For the
Wick Rotary are raising funds in order to help Caithness Riding
for the Disabled to purchase a sound system for their place at Halkirk.
The musical evening Thursday 13th July at 7.00pm in Mackays Hotel,
Wick. James Ross the well known pianist from Wick will be among
the growing list of local entertainers who will be at the event.
Tickets can be obtained from Lesley Mackay Tel 01955 604362. Tickets
are already selling well so get yours now and support Rotary in their bid
to get riding For the Disabled a new sound system for the Riding Centre.
There will also be a raffle and a silent auction for range of items on
show on the night.
Partnership July 2006 eBulletin
in this issue of the Caithness Partnership eBulletin that may be useful to
individuals and organisations in the county and beyond.
A Strategy for Caithness & North Sutherland - A Review of Community
Planning - Highland Council Beyond 2007 - Start-a-business - The Scottish
Consumer Council, -The Highland Tourism Awards - SCVO and the Carnegie
Commission for Rural Community Development
SEPA Update - Envirowise - FastTrack Visits - The Waste Minimisation
Initiative - Reducing Scotlands Ecological Footprint - Highland Energy
Forum - Enquiry into Energy Issues in Scotland
Funding - Training - Events. We are currently working on a new web
site for the Caithness Partnership that will carry much more information
and be updated as items become available.
Caithness Partnership Index
Dounreay Bulletin Issue 6 - July
Dounray bulletin this month are - Formation of Site Licence Company at
Dounreay - EU Publishes Dounreay Verification Report -, Former Research
Reactor Fuel Reprocessing Plant Cleans Up Nicely - Dounreay to Review
Socio Economic Planning for Site Closure - Dounreay Prepares New
Contracting Strategy for Decommissioning - NDA Announcement on Pensions -
Particles Consultation Steering Group Meets - Ł500 for Race for Life - New
Rugby Shirts for Bower Young Farmers.
Asda Petition At 2695 at 9.40am Today
Resign call to board over Croft Reform Bill - The Herald
Highland 2007 Getting Noticed Globally
All part of the Highlands including Caithness will have events on
during 2007 and despite the debate about how much is being spent where
and whether or not the projects are the right ones there is no doubt that
the combined effect is getting the Highlands noticed. Take for
example the Wilderness ARC now featuring on a bike racing web site -
Highlands and Islands at the 2007 World Championship where a
large entry from around the world is expected due to the low entry fees
and high prize money on offer. Many of the events are now listed on
Highland 2007 The events are listed under Arts, Environment,
Heritage, Language, Science and Sport. A few of the things happening
in Caithness are the
Flotilla of boats starting from Wick,
Caithness and Sutherland Walking Festival,
Highland Quest,
Blas Festival,
Caithness Science Festival,
Caithness Archaeological Trust Museum. In addition a
growing list of Caithness projects have received capital funding from
Highland 2007 and it is hoped these will have a lasting impact after 2007
Caithness Heat And Power In Wick Urges People To Get Connected Now
Pipes going in to the Pulteneytown area of Wick will in a few months be
sending heat to the houses connected up. Anyone not yet signed up
would be best to think about doing it right away whilst the contractors
are in the area. With rises in electricity and gas prices looking
more and more likely for this winter once again on top of the last
increases the cost of heating is going to be much more expensive.
Oil prices are rising in the face of the North Korean missile tests and
hit new records yesterday at $75 a barrel
(Today Online) The new heating scheme in Pulteneytown has
set its charges and a household can have unlimited heat for a fixed price.
Meanwhile as the Wick Heat And Power project surges ahead other countries
are thinking about it -
Australia should be paying closer attention to Europe on biofuels
- The Age
The Nuclear Debate In Australia
Should Australia Have a Nuclear Industry? - Azom.com
Nuclear debate picks up with show of British energy - The Age
Heat Centre In Wick Launches New Web Site
Centre have unveiled a new website today that represents a significant
milestone in the company's history and further signifies the company's
desire to be the prestige heating and plumbing supply company in
Another web site designed by
Over Ord in co-operation with us here at
Scorrie Internet
Services who bring you the Caithness.org and Caithness Business
Index web sites where your business web site gets more push -
See Heat Centre Business Page linking to your web site.
Get Seen Here.
5 July 2006
Asda Petition 2686 At 11.30pm
Convert Your Unwanted Item For Cash Now - It will Not Cost You A Penny
there is still time to get more cash for the holidays by selling unwanted
items in the Classified section of the Caithness.org message board.
It does not matter how long it takes as the services is FREE.
Since it started lot of items have changed hands via the message board.
Not only does it help find a customer for your item but is the best way to
recycle unwanted goods. If you are not worried about getting cash
then you can even give items away instead of throwing them away in our
Free Stuff section. So whther you just want rid of
clutter and are giving it away there is not better way of doing it than
the Free ads on Caithness.org. Folk will come and collect your
items. We have seen folk give away Rocks, Wood, and all manner of
useful items from furniture to prams, cat baskets and much more.
Thurso Auction Mart To Close
It was announced today by
United auctions that as part of a strategic re-organisation, that that the
seasonal livestock mart at Thurso is to close in November. In recent times only one person has been
employed at the mart in Thurso and some casual labour when sale was being
held. This follows the company's recent disposal
of its 30 per cent shareholding in Dingwall and Highland marts. The
company is making a Ł350,000 investment in new facilities at Huntly and is
proposing to invest some Ł10 million in a new mart at Stirling. The usual programme of sales is planned
for the autumn with closure expected at the end of November or early December.
Farming Index
North Region Board Meeting of SEPA
The North Region Board of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
will hold its next quarterly meeting at the Park Hotel, Thurso, at 9am on
Friday 7 July 2006. The meeting is open to the public. The board advises
SEPA on matters affecting the delivery of services within the region. It
also engages with communities, regulated industries, local authorities,
environmental partners and other stakeholders to gain a better understanding
of how SEPA's work is perceived in the area. Prior to the meeting, the board
and external stakeholders will undertake a tour of Dounreay Nuclear Power
Station. The tour will form the basis for discussion on decommissioning a
nuclear power station and the opportunities for redeveloping of the site.
Outputs and feedback will be reported during the board meeting.
Regional board members play a pivotal role in promoting the work of SEPA and
represent a wide range of interests including pollution control,
conservation, local government, industry, business, education and consumer
affairs. Minutes, agendas and details of board members are available at
Ormlie Judges Orkney Playpark
Ormlie Community Association made a special trip to St Margarets Hope,
Orkney last Friday to visit the Hope School Trim Track. The trustees of the
Nancy Ovens Award for Play contacted OCA and asked if some young people
would be willing to assess the play park as part of the judging for this
year's Nancy Ovens Award for Play. OCA won the 'Outstanding Contribution to
Play' award at last year's event, so the Trustees of the awards felt it
would be appropriate for young people from Ormlie to give their input into
the assessment process for the St Margaret's Hope application.
More Caithness Videos Linked Via
Caithness Explorer seen leaving John O'Groats. this is the tame bit
and you really need to get out and experience the sheer power as it lifts
off to go on a trip round Stroma or along to Duncansby. If you have
not tried it yet check it out this summer.
Book via North Coast Marine Adventures We here at the Org have
been out more than once and the trips were great experiences whether for the
thrill of the speed or the wildlife and birds on the trips. Also see
what the Caithness Kayak Club gets up to in the pool and on the river.
Another Huge Total Raised For Liam
Henderson Memorial Fund
The 3rd & 4th June weekend (including raffle sales from Wick) Ł22,900 +
Ł4600 from Sponsors & donations here in Wick made a Grand total
Ł27,500. This far surpassed expectations again & they still have the
Mini fun morning for the kids at Harmsworth Park on 22nd July 06. Photos
from this years event at Newmacher can be seen
In 2005 the event raised over Ł18,000 and in 2005 over Ł27,000. The
fund has disbursed funds to local football clubs in Wick where Liam came
from and Newmacher where he worked after university.
Campaign group highlights wind-farm tragedies - Scotsman
Windfarms Information Forum the local group actively campaigning
against wind farms highlighting the accidents at wind farms in the
government consultation.
NORTHERN Constabulary has said it is pleased with the results of the
Safer Scotland Knife Amnesty after 504 blades were handed in during the
month long campaign. 82 items were handed in across Caithness and
Sutherland. Although the figures are relatively low compared to other
areas of Scotland, Chief Inspector Ian Arnott urged people to continue to
report anyone they believe may be in possession of a bladed weapon. The
types of weapons handed in at Police stations across the Highlands and
Islands included kitchen knives, non-domestic knives, swords and other
weapons. The national knife amnesty saw over 12,000 weapons handed in as the
public responded positively to the Scottish Executive led campaign.
Ullapool Day Trip With PPP
Pulteneytown People's Project has arranged a day trip to Ullapool on
Tuesday 15th August. The bus is to leave at 8.30am picking up at South
School and Pulteneytown Post Office then onto Ullapool for a few hours
returning to Brora for a two course meal at the Sutherland Arms hotel.
The cost for the day is Ł14.50 per person including meal and must be
paid by 21st July. Anyone interested in booking a place should contact
PPP on 01955 606950 or pop into the offices at 41 Murchison Street.
COUNCILLOR WANTS DEEPER LOOK AT THURSO ASDA - Press and Journal
The planning application by
Asda for new store at the Pennyland site in Thurso once again is in the
press. Both the Press and Journal and Caithness Courier
carry items today highlighting Councillor Tom Jackson who opposed the
application as being unhappy with the retail impact study commissioned
by Asda which he claims is "riddled with inaccuracies and in my opinion
exaggerated claims with regard to turnover". In today's Caithness
Courier councillors Tom Jackson and Roger Saxon are quoted as being
unhappy with the retail impact assessment submitted by Asda. The
application was turned down after the chairman Graeme Smith used his
casting vote to refuse outline planning permission. Councillor
Donny Mackay also voted against the application. The split vote
has led Councillors Alistair Macdonald, David Flear (area convenor),
Bill Fernie and John Green plus four other Highland councillors to
present a notice to have the matter reviewed by the full planning
committee in Inverness. Councillor Alistair Macdonald who
organised the notice of review described the refusal decision as
"perverse". Meanwhile work goes on at the Tesco store on the edge
of Wick where another retail impact study suggested Ł8 million per annum
of spend might be retained in Caithness after the new store is opened.
Tesco has very detailed information on shoppers spending habits due to
the high numbers of Caithness households with a Tesco club card heavily
used by them in Inverness for groceries and petrol.
Meanwhile the
Asda support petition has reached 2660 signatures
(10.45am today) and
debate continues on various threads on the Message Board mostly linked
in the Asda
SNP Backs Scathing
Crofting Report Says MSP Rob Gibson
Highlands and Islands SNP MSPRob Gibson has praised the ERD Committee's
constructive critique of the Crofting Reform Bill that reveals the
Scottish Government proposals as lacking in vision, clarity and a
genuine commitment to the future of crofting. He said, 'In contrast the
SNP's long standing commitment is to promote sustainable crofting
communities, but the current Crofting Bill has no vision for the future
of crofting. Evidence to Parliament confirms that the shambolic and
incomplete crofting register is a prime symptom of political failure by
successive UK governments and for the last seven years by the LibDem
Labour Executive. They have failed miserably to ensure the Crofters
Commission has done its job laid down in law.
River users win over hydro plan - Perthshire Advertiser
4 July 2006
Petition Reaches 2644 Signatures At 9.10pm Tonight
The Asda
It has been pointed out that the online petition may be a reasonable
indicator of public feeling but sending letters to the Highland council
is much more certain to be taken notice of. On the Message Board
details of who to contact have been given for folk to write in as well
as signing the petition.
More Castletown Gala Photos Just In
121 - 132
133 - 142
Click Here for start of Castletown 2006 Gala Photos
Beach Fun Day At Dunnet
With Dunnet Play Group
Mackay said, "We had a lovely day where the turn out was phenomenal. Attached
are the winners of the sand castle competition - 1st Daisy & 2nd
Andrew MacGregor. We made a total of Ł681:00. We had a
sandcastle competition and children's races, barbecue, ice cream, candy
floss and local seafood. Children's games, face painting, bouncy castle
and finally a treasure hunt in the forest......"
St Fergus Triples Bowls Competition Hits Another Successful Year
St Fergus bowling club in Wick ran their third successful triples bowls
competition at the weekend. 64 triples - 192 bowlers played in the
two day competition spread over Thurso, Rosebank and St Fergus
bowling greens. Despite the competition being only in its third
year it is highly successful with competitors this year coming from
Shetland in the north and Essex in the south of England. The
winning triple picked up a cheque for Ł1000 with the runners up
receiving Ł300 along with their trophies. Semi-finalists and plate
competition winners received smaller cheques. All agreed the
weekend was very enjoyable and many competitors had brought other family
members along with them for the weekend adding to the buzz in Wick over
the two days.
Farmers - Do You Burn Waste On The Farm? Are You Aware Of
the New Regulations?
Handling farm waste-changes needed
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is hosting
agricultural waste roadshows to help the farming community and its
suppliers comply with new waste management controls. The Agricultural
Waste Regulations (Scotland) 2005 brought agricultural waste under the
same regulatory controls as other commercial activities. The controls
came into full effect on 21 January 2006, Waste Management Legislation
now prohibits the uncontrolled burning of waste on farms and the use of
unauthorised farm tips. Farms, like any other business, now have a Duty
of Care to ensure that the waste they produce is disposed of safely and
without harm to the environment, through licensed waste management
Asda Petition Still Climbing As total Reaches 2607 - at 2.05pm Today
The Asda
Public to be Consulted over
Proposed Taxi Increases
The Highland Council is to ask the public for their views on plans to
increase taxi fares later in the year. The public have until Friday 4 August
to make representations, which will be considered by the Transport,
Environmental and Community Services Committee on Thursday 17 August. The
proposed date for implementation of the increased fares is Monday 4
Dunnet Forest Link Path
A new multi-user path link has been created by the Environment Section of
The Highland Council Planning and Development Service to link Dunnet
Dunnet Pavilion and Dunnet Forest in Caithness.
The new path is wide enough to cater for walkers, buggies and pushchairs,
cyclists and horse riders allowing for both visitors and locals to use the
various facilities of the beach, the village and the forest whilst
avoiding walking on the road or road verge. There have been a number of other benefits from the
scheme. Sight lines have been improved for drivers exiting the Dunnet
Pavilion car park and holiday makers using the
Dunnet Bay Caravan site now
have safer access between the beach and forest, providing options for
outside activities in most weathers.
Dunnet Area
Whats On In Dunnet and Around the North With Rangers
New Caithness Arts
Festival Co-ordinator Appointed
Caithness Arts was pleased to announce a new development in their effort
to support growth in the local arts infrastructure. Linda Hutton has
been appointed as Caithness Arts Festival Co-ordinator. Despite the title,
her role extends beyond the Festival, and she is now the main point of
contact for those wishing to organise events for Caithness Arts Week, post
information via the e-mail list, or send items for inclusion in the
Newsletter and What's On, which Linda will now produce.
KNIVES CHARGES - Press and Journal
In two separate knife incidents two teenagers have been freed on bail
following being charged.
Scotland's most senior law officer introduced at House of Lords
- North Tonight
Lord Advocate Colin Boyd, now known as The Right Honourable Lord Boyd Of
Duncansby QC. His new title is taken from Duncansby Head in Caithness.
As boy he spent several years in Wick.
Wick Pipe Band Week In Full Swing
wick Pipe Band Week continued with an outdoor performance from the band and
dancers from the Elise Lyall School of Dance. The week is packed with
events -
See the Calendar On Wick Pipe Band Web site
Earlier Pipe Band Events
Photos From Wick Girls Pipe Band
3 July 2006
Asda Petition Reaches 2569 at 10.00pm On Monday 3 July
The Asda
Support for the
Asda proposal at Thurso shows no sign of abating as the petition keeps on
growing at an unprecedented rate for an issue in Caithness.
The Scottish Open Rifle Meeting At Thurdistoft, Castletown
1 - 12
For the second year running the Scottish Open Rifle Meeting is taking place
in Caithness following the highly successful first year in 2005.
Caithness has been pleased to welcome 250 shooters to the county for the
competitions that includes several members of Caithness clubs. Many of
the entrants have come with their families swelling the visitors to the
county considerably this week for the competition that runs from Saturday
1st to Friday 7th July.
Scottish Open Rifle Meeting Web Site
13 - 24
25 - 36
37 - 39
Photos from the 2005 Meeting
Community Centre At Pulteneytown Gets Go Ahead From Caithness Planning
The Community centre which was described as partly a regeneration centre
was given the go ahead after site inspection today in Wick. 8
councillors attended and there were no dissenting voices. Councillor
MacNab who is also the manager of the Pulteneytown People's Project and the
applicant for the new centre did not take part in the proceedings as she had
an interest in the result. Councillor Mowat was not available for the
meeting. Despite being set up a hearing following objections none of
the objectors appeared to make their case against the new centre. If
funding applications now in the pipeline are successful Wick will have a new
centre costing in excess of Ł2million to continue local people's drive to
turn round the area that is listed along with another area of Wick in the
Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. Chairman of the PPP David Dunnet
hoped that the centre would be open within two years. The centre will
provide On the ground floor the building will provide a sports and function
hall with adjacent store, a plant room, a youth project room, two
classrooms, a cafeteria with internet access, a kitchen, a soft play area
and a nursery crčche with adjacent rooms. On the upper floor there will be
an office for the Pultneytown Peoples Project with adjacent committee room,
office and reception room, a meeting/function room, 6 social economy office
units, a kitchen, a recording studio and 3 IT suites. Education and
training are a large part of what the new centre will be about to try to
take Pulteneytown people out of the category of one of the highest
unemployment black spots in the north.
2 July 2006
Castletown Gala
85 - 96
97 - 108
109 - 116
Rangers - Dunnet Walk Cancelled For 2.00pm Thursday 6 July
Asda proposal to be reconsidered - BBC
Castletown Gala - more Castletown Gala Photos later this
49 - 60
61 - 72
73 - 84
Asda Petition Now At 2527 as at 9.40am Today
The Asda
Caithness Planning Committee - Special Meeting
The special meeting is called today to try to deal with planning
applications before the council goes into its summer break. The main
application is for hearing on the
application by Pulteneytown People's Project for new community centre.
The Ł2 million centre has attracted three objections and small petition
signed by 11 people and therefore the full hearings system has been invoked.
The planning meeting takes place today at 10.00am in the Assembly Rooms,
Wick. Several other planning applications will also be dealt with.
Castletown Gala - Last photos on for tonight. More Castletown
Gala photos on Monday
13 - 24
25 - 36
37 - 48
Castletown Gala
1 - 12
Pulteneytown People's Project Fun Day
Another of the many events on in Caithness on Saturday. The PPP Fun
Day is getting bigger each year. Here are few photos from the early
part of the day.
Work Has Begun On The Tesco Store Site At Wick
much anticipated start on the Tesco store at Wick has begun as a firm of
fencing contractors are already hard at work even on a Saturday fencing off
the whole site with a huge fence. Diggers have moved in ready to
commence work on the roads, car park and foundations. Looks like they
meant business when they said open in plenty of time for Christmas. We
will be following progress every step of the way over the next 20 weeks.
The site next to the airport and adjacent to the main road is ideally
situated for people coming from across the county and even further afield.
Already the Shops on the other side of Wick are attracting shopper from a
long way off in Sutherland and Orkney. The new Tesco will mean that
Wick will in less than a year have become nearer to being the shopping
capital of the north. Two shops remain available the Homebase complex
but they are not expected to remain empty for long.
Asda Petition Now 2470
The Asda
Canisbay Show
49 - 60
61 - 72
73 - 84
Canisbay Show 2006
1 - 12
Show 13 - 24
25 - 36
37 - 48
1 July 2006
And Once Again Records Broken In June On
Hits : 14,815,869 Visitors : 688,920
Page Views : 4,338,048
Daily Average - Hits : 493,859 Visitors 22,961 Page Views
6 Months Jan - June Caithness.org
Hits : 83,049,351 Visitors : 4,041,312 Page Views : 21,515,151
Caithness.org had
more visitors in the first 6 months of 2006 than in the whole 12 months of
2005. All the numbers show a continued rise. Despite June being
one day less than May the month still beat last months records. Every
month now adds to an even bigger record over 2005.
Sutherland Business Pages Also Breaking Records
Hits : 794,832 Visitors : 89,080 Page Views : 673,283
Page views were up by a third in June over last month indicating the
site is increasing its usefulness.
Thanks again to all of our visitors.
Today marks the end of the knife amnesty, which commenced on 24 May. During
the amnesty a number of knives and weapons were recovered from the red bins
that were placed throughout Highland and Islands. These weapons will now be
destroyed. Northern Constabulary and the Procurator Fiscal service today
have moved into the enforcement phase whereby an even tougher line is being
pursued against those persons who choose to carry a knife. Such persons can
now expect to be met with the full force of the law: Arrest – they
will be arrested and usually be held in custody until their court appearance
- Bail – where such a person pleads not guilty in court, it will be
more likely that the Procurator Fiscal will oppose bail. Sentence –
many of the cases will be prosecuted on indictment with the sheriff being
able to impose a sentence of up to four years imprisonment. Due to the
connection of alcohol with violence drinking in the street laws will be more
likely to be enforced.
In Living Memory - Scotsman
The Queen Mother Memorial Garden at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh -
to be opened by the Queen this Friday. 147 slabs of Caithness
stone have been used in the construction.
Asda Petition Still Growing - 2396 at 9.35am Today
The Asda Debate
Property Pages
Keep Getting Bigger
117 Properties
for sale are currently on show in our property section. For
advertisers its a great deal as the pages are FREE. why? You
do the work. Just complete the online submission form and attach
your photo and your ad is on. Just let us know when you want it
removed. Easy and efficient. Keep the ad on as long as you
Fun Day At South School, Wick - Today - 1.00pm
This is the annual fundraiser where all the community come together
and have a good day out. Activities include Highland
dancers, local bands playing, old fashioned races, face painting,
football competition…..5 a-side. Kids get along and enter your team,
trampoline, raffle stall, bottle stall, baking stall and a plant stall
where you can come along and exchange a plant or buy a plant for 50p,
barbecue, tea, coffee, home baking, hot dogs. Any funds raised on the
day go towards subsidising outings that organised throughout the
Archives From Front Page
Front Page Headlines Archive Index From 2000 Onwards


text:
Indeed, you are correct I am over excited with the PSHTML module and tried few crazy stuffs before and here comes one other wacky demo which is Using PSHTML as view engine for Node.js. Please share your feedback and do not use in production environment. I am experimenting this for my learning and figuring out if it helps in any of my projects in near future.
PSHTML module is now available in the PSGallery. So, if you have PS 5+ you can do
Install-Module PSHTML
Assuming you have Node.js and NPM already installed! Just follow the steps to use PS1 (PSHML – Pure PowerShell Code) as a view engine for Node.js.
Step 1
Create a project folder
New-Item C:\Projects -Name iPSHTML -ItemType Directory
Step 2
Run below command and follow the self explanatory prompt.
npm init
Step 3
Installing the required packages!
npm install express node-powershell
Step 4
Now, use the below code! Yes, as I said it looks wacky!
var express = require('express'); var app = express(); var shell = require('node-powershell'); var ps = new shell({ executionPolicy: 'bypass', noProfile: true }); var fs = require('fs'); app.engine('ps1',function(filepath,_options,callback){ fs.readFile(filepath,function(err,content){ if(err) return callback(err) ps.addCommand('./views/home.ps1'); ps.invoke().then(output=>{ var rendered = output; return callback(null,rendered) }); }) }) app.set('views', './views') // specify the views directory app.set('view engine', 'ps1') // register the template engine app.get('/', function (_request, response) { response.render('home') }) app.listen(3000) console.log('Your Application in running on port 3000')
Create a folder under the root folder i.e PSHTML and name is as Views. Add a file home.ps1 with the below code
html { head { title "Home Page" link -rel "stylesheet" -href "home.css" -type "text/css" } Body { hr { "Horizontal Line" } -Style "border-width: 2px" h1 { 'PSHTML ♥ Polaris!' } -Style "font-family: 'Candara';text-align:center" hr { "Horizontal Line" } -Style "border-width: 2px" form { "RequestForm" } -action "/MyResponse" -method 'post' -target '_blank' -style "font-family:Candara" -Content { "First Name" input -type text "FN" -style "font-family:Candara" "Last Name" input -type text "SN" "Submit" input -type submit "Submit" -style "font-family:Candara" } } }
We know to back fill the forms for current logged on users! To keep this article simple I skipped it!
Step 5
Start the server by using the below command.
node .\server.js
We created a view engine which executed the PowerShell file (PSHTML module code) and serves as a template engine for node.js – Below code is for creating a custom view engine in Node.js (This is a just a sample!)
app.engine('ps1',function(filepath,_options,callback){ fs.readFile(filepath,function(err,content){ if(err) return callback(err) ps.addCommand('./views/home.ps1'); ps.invoke().then(output=>{ var rendered = output; return callback(null,rendered) }); }) })
What you see as output is illustrated below!
You may ask why node-powershell ? and not child_process? I tried but failed to get it working. For now, I used a node-powershell which is a wrapper of child_process. Working on some more round the bend demo! Catch you all in my next blog post!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Bring Your Pets!
Postponed until Spring of 2023
We are so excited to welcome you and
your pet at The Victoria Pet Expo.
Signed Animal Waiver is mandatory for pet entry.
Please print and sign the animal waiver and bring it with you to gain entrance into the event.
Be honest about your pet's temperament. You know your pet better than anyone else, ask yourself if you really should bring your pet to the event. Would your pet enjoy the atmosphere? Shy pets will not like expos and large events. Also, if your pet is at all reactive–including reactivity that's caused by fear around other pets or in new situations–then expos are not the place to take your pooch. Leave your pet at home to enjoy a good nap, head off to the expo and have a good time without him. Maybe even buy him a goodie to surprise him on your return. You'll both be happier!
Keep walking. If your dog encounters another dog and things seem a little bit tense, don't stop. Can't get down a busy aisle? Turn around and go back the other way. You can always come back to check out that row later. Your dog will be a lot less tense if the two of you are moving.
Print, sign and bring your waiver with you. There will be printed copies at the door but it's not always easy to sign paperwork when you have your pet with you at a stimulating event. Skip the stress and come prepared, it will save you and your pet time at the door.
All pets must be well-behaved (Owners must have control of my animal at all times during the course of the Victoria Pet Expo and will adhere to the rules, not only set by the Victoria Pet Expo but also the Victoria, BC Animal Bylaw regulations.)
All pets must have a signed Victoria Pet Expo Animal Waiver. Please print, sign and bring the Animal Waiver with you.
Pets must be on a standard leash (no retractable leashes allowed)
Please review safe pet greeting behaviors with your family before attending the show. Remind your family to always ask the owner's permission to pet an animal, allow the pet to sniff their hands and then they should gently pet the animal's chest, chin or back (not the top of its head), speaking calmly and quietly.
We are so excited to see you at
The Victoria Pet Expo.
If you have any questions or there is anything we can do to be of assistance, please do not hesitate in contacting us.


text:
Trump's Hired Hands Want a War in Iran
Donald Trump must take control of U.S. policy on Iran instead of leaving it in the hands of those who have been promoting unending confrontation with Tehran for their entire careers.
Are we headed for a war with Iran?
This question has been bandied about periodically throughout the last forty years of hostile relations between the United States and Iran. There was a time not too long ago when the Obama administration was seriously considering the use of military force against Iran's nuclear program. Fortunately, the war talk dissipated after U.S. diplomats arrived at the conclusion that talking things through was a far more constructive way to resolve the nuclear issue than loading up the B-52's.
U.S.-Iran relations are approaching a dangerous inflection point. If President Donald Trump doesn't wisen up and start putting out genuine feelers to Tehran for some kind of communication—feelers that are more serious than his off-the-cuff "call me" remarks at the White House—a situation that is now tense could escalate into a shooting war, which nobody wants except for the most committed administration hardliners.
The relationship between Washington and Tehran in general has seldom escaped its perennially horrendous state, but recent events of the last month have poisoned the well considerably. Through its actions, the Trump administration has made it clear to the Iranians that they are in no mood to negotiate.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization, the first time in U.S. history that an arm of a nation's military has been referred to in similar language as Hezbollah, Hamas, Al Qaeda, and all the rest. Washington is no longer allowing other countries to import Iranian crude oil without being sanctioned, a decision which will take hundreds of thousands of additional Iranian barrels off the market. Last week, the White House sanctioned Tehran's raw metals industry, an action that will force foreign traders to shy away from the Iranian market if it seeks to continue doing business in the United States. The Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign against Iran is obvious in its intentions—bleed the Iranian economy dry and force Tehran to sue for a settlement on America's terms.
All of these sanctions take place as Washington is building up military hardware in and around the Persian Gulf to intimidate Iran from lashing out. As of this writing, B-52H Stratofortress bombers, F-15's, and F-35A's are engaging in what the U.S. military calls "deterrence flights" in the region. The same day American aircraft were circling the waters of the Persian Gulf. Trump was at the White House warning Iran not to play any games. "If they [Iran] do anything, it will be a very bad mistake," Trump told reporters.
Iran, however, is highly unlikely to back down in the face of demands and ultimatums from Washington—particularly from an administration it views as inherently adversarial and interested in nothing short of the Islamic Republic's full, complete, and unconditional surrender. As Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group wrote in a May 12 article in the Atlantic, "The one thing Tehran would find more intolerable than the crushing impact of sanctions is raising the white flag because of them." The Islamic Republic has weathered stormer seas in its young history and came out the other side fully intact. The White House is in many ways pushing on a closed door.
For Trump's hawkish advisers—National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo—instigating or provoking a conflict with Iran would serve their unified purpose of throwing the ayatollahs out of the corridors of power for good. Yet for Trump himself, rightly skeptical of launching dubious wars of choice and having committed to the American people he would extricate the United States from pointless interventions, picking a fight with Iran would be a direct violation of his campaign promise. More important, a military conflict with Iran would be a U.S. response wholly disproportionate to the threat Iran poses to U.S. security.
Washington is full of advisers, think tank scholars, and pundits who believe that it's simply impossible for the United States and Iran to coexist and that the only solution to the Iranian problem is to change the regime—whether by force or by collapsing Tehran's finances and instigating a widespread, domestic revolt. But to suggest that the United States, the world's only superpower with global power projection capabilities, is incapable or powerless to manage Iran is a severely flawed interpretation of the overall situation. Indeed, it underestimates the superior power of the United States and gives Tehran far too much credit than it's entitled to.
Right now, diplomacy between Washington and Tehran is unlikely over the short-term. The Iranians will likely bide their time and hope U.S. policy will change after the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
However, what the Trump administration can do is decrease the tension before the situation gets to a point where avenues for de-escalation are further constrained. Trump must take control of the policy instead of leaving it in the hands of those who have been promoting unending confrontation with Iran for their entire careers. The simplest way to do this is by establishing direct lines of communication between U.S. and Iranian officials to—at the very least—pave the road for a dialogue and create a node that can be used by both to address any misunderstandings that occur at a moment's notice.
The American people don't want a war. The Iranian people don't want a war. Trump doesn't want a war. And the Iranian government, increasingly constrained by U.S. secondary sanctions, doesn't want a war it would lose. It's not too late for the president to nip the worst-case scenario in the bud.
Dan DePetris is a Fellow at Defense Priorities as well as a columnist for the Washington Examiner and the American Conservative. You can follow him on Twitter at @DanDePetris.
Image: Reuters


text:
MUMBAI: Actor and singer Sulakshana Pandit, last seen in the 1983 film Razia Sultan, returns to the big screen with Kuch Kehna Hai.
The film, produced by Ashutosh Chaurasia, has been directed by Shantanu Dev. Kolkata businessman turned producer Chaurasia says, "The 7/11 Mumbai blasts inspired me and Shantanu Dev to make a film on the subject. We were delighted when Sulakshana agreed to do the film. She plays the strong central character of a mother to Hyder Ali Khan, who plays her Indian son. Vinay Anand, the other hero, plays a Pakistani. The female leads are played by Sheetal Joshi and Anandi Tripati. The Indian boy falls in love with a Pakistani girl, while a Pakistani boy loves an Indian girl. We are in the post-production stages currently."
G D Maity, assistant to Ashok Mehta has wielded the camera for the film, while Bappi Lahiri has composed the music. Pandit has acted in popular films like Apnapan, Khandaan, Raaz and Thief of Baghdad in the 1970s.


text:
Party Band
Get ready to party with The UK's Ultimate Event Band, Coyote. Bringing you the freshest mix of songs from the likes of Rihanna, Kings Of Leon, Bruno Mars and Adele. Bring your dancing shoes and singing voices for gig to remember!
Couldn't have picked a better band to play at my cousins wedding-they look and sound the part, great energy and phenomenal vocals!
– Chesney Hawkes
We had Coyote Acoustic play for our Expedia Car Rental Summer Party – they were great! Organising events isn't something I do on a regular basis, but they made it all extremely easy – really all they needed was for me to let them know where and when to turn up, and they took care of the rest. Their playlist suited the event perfectly: cool, contemporary music, and fantastic vocals. I'd happily book them again.
Heidi Moore, Expedia
"I can not recommend this band highly enough! They blew us and our guests out the water with their music. Laura's voice is just amazing and no song seemed to be a challenge. Coyote know how to party and get everyone on the dance floor. Everyone in the group is a pleasure to get on with and more than accommodating to our requests. I would gladly book this band again and even my guests were asking for their details. Top band!"
Laura Kelly
Enquire and book now
Call +44 (0)1276 675263
15 Colville Gardens
Get social
Twitter feed
Instagram feed
© Essential Entertainment 2020
Designed and built by Keith Blues Design & Direction


text:
I ran 3 miles today! I can work that into any sentence. "I need to take a shower because I ran 3 miles today." "I'm too tired to do the dishes because I ran three miles today."
When we left off I was planning on going for a run on a flat bike path to see if running hilly trails all the time (where I can't do two miles without stopping and breathing like a freight train) actually made me fit enough to run three miles on flat ground.
I got up at 7 AM on a Saturday (ponder the weirdness of that for a moment) to go for this run since it was cooler than the surface of the sun at that point. Later in the day running on asphalt loses some appeal. I had a special eclectic playlist on the iPod just for this occasion.
I started with "Bad Things" by Jace Everett. That's the theme to TRUE BLOOD. It has a steady beat but it is slow. I ran with it since I wasn't going for time here. I wanted to make the distance even if it was in slow running motion. After that was "Bad Romance" by the Glee cast since I love Chris Colfer's vocals on that. The half mile marker came up pretty quickly. I was going back and forth between the path and the shoulder since I like running on dirt and gravel better than asphalt. I run like a trail runner – short strides because you never know when something is going to try to trip you. I almost fell twice today going from path to shoulder. I figured it would be just my luck to hurt myself on the easy course.
"Centerfield" by John Fogerty was next. Happy, bouncy, just makes you want to run. "Dime que me quieres" by Ricky Martin came up. When I was in Costa Rica in 1992 his first solo album had come out and was a smash hit. At 3:30 on weekday afternoons my job was to watch the music video show and yell for the females in the area when any of his videos came on. Every woman from 15 to 80 would come running to watch. This one was a favorite for the motorcycles, shower, and barely legal Ricky doing bad choreography. (I was looking up the link on youtube and Z was dancing around the living room. See, everyone loves Ricky.) This one distracted me because I'm trying to put all the Spanish words in when I sing along and it is hard for me.
At this point I was in sight of the bridge! That's the turnaround point. I was running to "Fame". When I got there I collapsed on the benches. But the sun was beating down and I was hotter there than when I was running so I got up immediately and walked across the bridge and back to stay flexible.
"Hollaback Girl" was the end of the mix and I started back and then started the mix over. I ran all the way back. I even passed someone! She was older, overweight, strolling, and totally unaware that she was racing me but I passed her and she didn't pass me back!
I felt pretty good on this run. Cardiovascularly I was just fine. My hamstrings and calves were tight. I need to do more yoga. Now that I know I can do the distance I can work on maybe getting faster.


text:
For most of us, the purpose of exhibition lighting is to showcase the pieces on display and entice people to buy them. In order to create an environment conducive to selling, the exhibition has to look elegant and effortless.
It's like planning a performance: To orchestrate the desired results, many factors need to be considered, including the type of fixtures and bulbs, the lights' brightness and heat, how the lights are pointed and their distance from the artworks, whether to use washes or spots, how to minimize glare and how to thoughtfully combine the accent lighting with complementary ambient lighting.
Goals of Your Presentation
What do you want to call attention to? Textures and brushwork? Depth and range of color? The overall piece? A specific show-stopper, with the rest of the pieces in the show playing supporting roles?
Brightness and Placement
The lighting can't be warehouse-bright or dungeon-dark. It must draw the viewer in, but can't overwhelm him with sensory stimulation.
In fact, overly bright, hot lighting can damage artwork. Incandescent lighting is beautiful, but it mustn't be so bright and hot that it wrinkles the paper, or burns, melts or fades the work on display. Some delicate works, such as antique textiles, must be carefully lit with ultra-low light.
The light shouldn't create a glare off the surface of glazed works on paper or glossy oil paintings, nor should it illuminate the viewer who would then see his reflection in such pieces. A one-to-four ratio is recommended for these types of works, meaning if the vertical height from the floor to the lamp is "four," then the horizontal distance from the wall to the lamp should be "one." This will create a narrow cone of light near the point at the light fixture, and the wash or spot illuminating the artwork. Directed at the art, and not at the head of the viewer, this generally is an effective presentation. If the light is further away from the art, the viewer will be in the light stream and will create a shadow on the artwork.
The one-to-four ratio offers another advantage: It's difficult to point it in such a way as to blind a viewer elsewhere in the room.
Balancing Highlights and Ambient Lights
Accent lighting will need to be combined with ambient lighting. In other words, besides the highlighted artwork, the center gallery areas where people walk and gather to talk also need an appropriate level of light.
The accent lighting and ambient lighting schemes should be complementary, both in terms of intensity and type. For example, if you have beautiful, subdued incandescent spots carefully showcasing paintings on the wall, the last thing you want is fluorescent lights illuminating the rest of the gallery. Similarly, if those spots are indeed hushed and subdued, you don't want a grocery-store brightness in the rest of the gallery. Be sure the transitions are harmonious. Areas of high-contrast punctuated by dark areas can create eyestrain and gallery fatigue.
Types of Lights and Fixtures
The kinds and shapes of the fixtures will make a difference, as will the kinds of bulbs. Wattage, dimmers, the bulbs' color-cast and halogen/incandescent/fluorescent will all make a difference in the presentation. As to fixtures, will you be using a wash or a spot? Spotlights range from pinpoint to large in size and can showcase tiny works or a special part of a sculpture or other work.
Fill lights can be used, i.e., more than one light on a piece in order to light it more evenly. Even filters can be used for different effects or to change the color-cast of a bulb.
For further information, I recommend visiting several galleries and museums and seeing firsthand what works. I also recommend the book The Art of Displaying Art by Laurence B. Smith, and The IESNA Lighting Handbook. The first book is available for $29.95 at www.Amazon.com and is a fabulous overall look at arranging, handling, hanging, lighting and captioning the work in a show. The second book, published by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, costs a whopping $425 at www.IESNA.org but it's the definitive reference work on retail, industrial, exterior, sports, underwater, security, public-space, theatre, television and photographic lighting.
Carolyn Blakeslee Proeber founded Art Calendar magazine in 1986.


text:
During March and April our waiting times on the phone were extremely long due to high customer contacts.
The waiting time is now much shorter and all calls are being answered. The waiting time can vary depending on when you call us.
If you already have an active service request, be assured that your case will be handled and we will contact you as soon as there is progress regarding your case. We kindly ask for your patience and we will get back to you with a resolution.
Before contacting us, please make sure to check out our FAQ for helpful information.


text:
Professional in issuing bank instruments
We have centralized our company goals to succor passionate consumers in procuring their intended economic goals, by our valuable financial instruments in many forms as SBLC, LTN, MTN, BG, SKR, KTT, POF, Monetization, Offshore bank account creation, Funding, Paymaster, Leasing and selling financial instruments,.
lighting your business with a bright future
We spend thousands of hours and sweat to light your dull business which lives in dark financial environment to create a new pristine future. Still now we keep on evaluating our client's performance to care your commercial projects as a well-ordered system, which will never end
Our philosophy
World organisations have been diverged. As a result to please your requirements we have contrived a versatile strategic framework to unlock challenges and reach to the paradise of success. We'll assure to direct certain professionals packed up with years of experience to assist you to stand up in financial rank.
Our expertise
We apprehend that every business might face a hazardous situation. During those perilous moments you can exclaim "Bank instruments of companies" as we'll be ready with our experts to bring back your dead business to life. We have a vast experience of assisting thousands of global organizations.