Scotland Thread

[Flashermac]

Not available in Bangkok either. Scotland same same LOS, but different.

[The_Munchmaster]

"The uploader has not made this video available in your country."

 

Not available in Bangkok either. Scotland same same LOS, but different.

 

Flash, I'm in Bangkok.

[Flashermac]

So then, Bangkok same same Bangkok, not different.

[Flashermac]

'World's oldest calendar' discovered in Scottish field

 

 

Archaeologists believe they have discovered the world's oldest lunar "calendar" in an Aberdeenshire field.

 

Excavations of a field at Crathes Castle found a series of 12 pits which appear to mimic the phases of the moon and track lunar months.

 

A team led by the University of Birmingham suggests the ancient monument was created by hunter-gatherers about 10,000 years ago.

 

The pit alignment, at Warren Field, was first excavated in 2004.

 

The experts who analysed the pits said they may have contained a wooden post.

 

The Mesolithic "calendar" is thousands of years older than previous known formal time-measuring monuments created in Mesopotamia.

 

The analysis has been published in the journal, Internet Archaeology.

 

The pit alignment also aligns on the Midwinter sunrise to provided the hunter-gatherers with an annual "astronomic correction" in order to better follow the passage of time and changing seasons.

 

He said: "The evidence suggests that hunter-gatherer societies in Scotland had both the need and sophistication to track time across the years, to correct for seasonal drift of the lunar year and that this occurred nearly 5,000 years before the first formal calendars known in the Near East.

 

"In doing so, this illustrates one important step towards the formal construction of time and therefore history itself."

 

The universities of St Andrews, Leicester and Bradford were also involved.

 

Dr Richard Bates, of the University of St Andrews, said the discovery provided "exciting new evidence" of the early Mesolithic Scotland.

 

He added: "This is the earliest example of such a structure and there is no known comparable site in Britain or Europe for several thousands of years after the monument at Warren Field was constructed."

 

The Warren Field site was first discovered as unusual crop marks spotted from the air by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS).

 

Dave Cowley, aerial survey projects manager at RCAHMS, said: "We have been taking photographs of the Scottish landscape for nearly 40 years, recording thousands of archaeological sites that would never have been detected from the ground.

 

"Warren Field stands out as something special, however. It is remarkable to think that our aerial survey may have helped to find the place where time itself was invented."

 

Crathes Castle and its estate is in the care of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).

 

From 2004 to 2006, trust staff and Murray Archaeological Services excavated the site.

 

NTS archaeologist Dr Shannon Fraser said: "This is a remarkable monument, which is so far unique in Britain.

 

"Our excavations revealed a fascinating glimpse into the cultural lives of people some 10,000 years ago - and now this latest discovery further enriches our understanding of their relationship with time and the heavens."

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk...etland-23286928

[The_Munchmaster]

Graeme Obree sets prone cycling speed record

 

Graeme Obree's bike is made up of items including a saucepan and roller skates

 

Former world champion cyclist Graeme Obree has set a new world record for riding in the prone position.

 

The 47-year-old from Ayrshire reached a record breaking speed of 56.62mph (91km/h) in his unconventional Beastie bike.

 

He is competing in the World Human Speed Championships at Battle Mountain, Nevada.

 

On Saturday he will aim to break the British land speed cycling record on a different recumbent bike.

 

Speaking from Nevada, Obree told BBC Radio Scotland: "The timekeeper announced it was a new world record and that is a strange feeling. I've not heard that for 20 years, so I'm still absorbing it, that's nice and anything else is a bonus".

 

He had travelled head first and face down with his chin just 2cm (0.8in) from the front wheel and with his eyes peering out of a small peephole.

 

The Beastie was constructed by Mr Obree in his kitchen and a friend's workshop.

 

It is made of components including a stainless steel saucepan, acting as a shoulder support, and parts from old bikes and roller-skates.

 

The revolutionary aspects were invisible: the position of the human inside it, and the fact that Obree was not pedalling, but instead operating a couple of push-pull levers with his feet.

 

Graham Obree's online video of how the Beastie works

 

Obree set a new one-hour cycle distance world record 20 years ago on Old Faithful, the famous bike he built himself.

 

His life story has since been told in the film The Flying Scotsman.

[The_Munchmaster]

Scottish independence: Holyrood debate marks one year to referendum

 

By Andrew Black Political reporter, BBC Scotland

The people of Scotland will vote in an independence referendum on 18 September, 2014

 

 

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond will lead a debate at the Scottish Parliament, a year before voters take part in the independence referendum.

 

On 18 September 2014, they will be asked the yes/no question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

 

Mr Salmond said independence would help Scotland become a thriving, successful nation, free from Westminster ties.

 

The main opposition parties insisted Scotland's devolved parliament, as part of the UK, was the best of both worlds.

 

Ahead of the debate, the Scottish government's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC's Today programme that Scotland could "more than afford" to be independent.

 

 

She added: "We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

 

"We more than pay our way. If you take each and every one of the past 30 years, we have generated more tax per head than the UK as a whole so there's no question Scotland can be independent, the question is should we be independent and there my argument is simple - it's better to take decisions about Scotland here in Scotland."

 

The Scottish government's detailed case for independence will come in a white paper to be published in the autumn which has promised to "answer all the questions people reasonably have".

 

Opposition parties who support the Union - Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, as well as the UK government - said Scotland currently benefited from being part of one of the world's most successful economies.

 

And they claimed the SNP government was watering down its vision for independence to increase support among voters during a time when polls were indicating most people backed the Union.

 

Alex Salmond's motion to be debated by the Scottish Parliament

 

That the Parliament agrees that Scotland has an abundance of resources and talent and can more than afford to be a successful, thriving independent country; notes that successive UK administrations have pursued an economic policy that has led to the UK having one of the most unbalanced and unequal economies in the developed world; agrees that it is wrong and costly for policies to be imposed on Scotland that have been overwhelmingly rejected by Scotland's political representatives, and welcomes evidence that shows that there are gains for families and communities when decisions about Scotland are taken by those who care most about Scotland, the people who live and work here.

 

Opposition politicians pointed to SNP policies such as keeping the pound and the services of the Bank of England under a "currency union" with the rest of the UK, and retaining the Queen as head of state.

 

For the UK government, Scottish Secretary Michael Moore, said of the referendum: "This is an absolutely defining moment and a once-in-a-lifetime choice. That's why I hope people will think carefully as they prepare for the vote.

 

"I firmly believe that Scotland will be stronger, more secure and more prosperous if we remain as part of the UK.

 

"Between now and next September I will continue to argue this case as well as providing what I believe will be robust and persuasive evidence."

 

Scotland's opposition parties have been drawing up their own offers to voters, to counter independence, based on having a more powerful Scottish Parliament while remaining part of the UK.

 

The Liberal Democrat vision for Scottish home rule would see significant new financial and other powers devolved from Westminster, while a commission set up by Scottish Labour has suggested there was a "strong case" for Holyrood gaining full income tax powers.

 

 

And, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has given her support to more financial powers for Scotland, signalling a significant shift in thinking for the party which previously opposed the idea of a devolved parliament.

 

Meanwhile, the official campaigns for independence and the Union - Yes Scotland and Better Together - will also be marking the day.

 

Yes Scotland chief Blair Jenkins, said: "Scotland has generated more tax per head than the UK as whole in each and every one of the last 30 years.

 

"The question is, why more people in Scotland are not reaping the benefits of our wealth?

 

 

 

First Minister Alex Salmond, and leader of the SNP, says the referendum on Scottish independence is "head and heart"

 

"With a 'Yes' vote next year, we can deliver financial and social gains for people and families across our nation because Scotland's future will be in Scotland's hands."

 

Former chancellor Alistair Darling, leader of the Better Together campaign, countered: "Now that there is a year to go to the referendum, I hope that the nationalists will be prepared to give people answers to the many question that they have about the impact of going it alone on our jobs, our pensions and our public services.

 

"Up until now every one of these legitimate questions has either been met with calls of 'scaremongering' or with a blind assertion."

Legislation setting the ground rules for the referendum is currently making its way through parliament.

 

The arrangements have already been negotiated and agreed in advance between the Scottish and UK governments, under the terms of the Edinburgh Agreement, signed by Mr Salmond and Prime Minister David Cameron.

 

Alistair Darling, leader of the Better Together campaign, says financially it makes sense for Scotland to remain part of the UK.

 

One of Alex Salmond's former special advisers has raised concern about the SNP's approach to the independence campaign.

 

Alex Bell, a former head of policy for the Scottish government, wrote in the Guardian newspaper that the party leadership has so far relied on winning hearts without enough focus on the "profound" assessment to win minds.

 

"The campaigns to date have been a tedious parade of union flags versus saltires, of pop identity about caring Scots versus heartless Tories," he wrote.

 

"By insisting on something particular to Scotland and contrasting it to the UK, Salmond has denied a crucial truth about the debate: Scotland's problems are common to the developed world, and the questions for him are the same as those for David Cameron and Ed Miliband."

 

Mr Bell has spent two years considering the Scottish government's detailed case for independence, to be published in a white paper later this year.

 

Responding to his comments, Deputy Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "With the greatest respect to Alex - (someone) I think very highly of - I'm responsible in government for the white paper, and when the white paper's published in November, I think it will set out - I know it will set out - a very strong case for independence."

[Flashermac]

Will you take back Tony Blair and Gordon Brown?

[SpiceMan]

The issue if Scotland votes for independence will be how much of the national debt they get stuck with.

[The_Munchmaster]

The issue if Scotland votes for independence will be how much of the national debt they get stuck with.

 

Nobody seems to know?

 

PS I can't see Scotland voting for independence so it probably won't matter.

[Mekong]

Munchie,

 

What are your feelings towards independence, no need to answer if you don't wish to my grandfather taught me never talk about politics, religion or football in a bar, but it would be interesting to hear your take on the matter.