EDITORIAL

That’s Celtic Connections off to a grand start with the opener being an evening with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.  Amazing banjo playing from Bela himself, brothers Victor and Roy ‘Futureman’ Wooten as bassist and extraordinary percussionist, drummer respectively with Howard Levy on piano and harmonicas.

The guests included Irish singer Karan Casey, Gaelic singer Kathleen MacInnes and American singer and banjo player Abigail Washburn whose voices blended in a searingly soulful way.

Transatlantic Sessions regular Michael McGoldrick – who’s been touring with Mark Knopfler and Bob Dylan - and American bluegrass fiddler and singer Casey Driessen completed the line-up. A truly appreciative audience knew what a unique treat they’d enjoyed.

Whatever you do from now till Sunday 5 February, treat yourself to one of the 300+ events in more than 20 venues at this toe tapping Celtic Connections festival. There are FREE sessions at 5pm each day to give future musicians a chance to strut their stuff. And there are workshops (at modest cost) for anyone who fancies trying their hand at making music themselves.

When there is such a range of great talent on your doorstep – it’s too good to miss!

EDITORIAL

The year has started with a bang! For some people that was the sound of the chimney coming through the roof or crashing onto the car at the door.  For others it was the champagne corks popping,  as exciting new pathways opened up.

In each case a lot of hard work has to be done before the finishing point is reach.

In politics it’s just the same. Lots of loud noise but nothing will happen and no goals will be reached until some hard work has been done.

This is particularly true this year when local government elections are scheduled for May. Candidates are being chosen – most are already working on their tasks before the public start of the race – some are waiting to know their fate and others are already packing their brief cases and emptying their emails to leave a clear desk for the newcomer.

Where the big bang still has to impact is the ordinary members of the public who need to bang the big drum more often to let others know of some of the shennanigans they might see.  So dust down the drum, and get ready to make a noise about the issues that are of major concern to you and to your community! Don’t wait for others to do it – get on with the job yourself.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS

The team producing this weekly ENEWS  wishes each reader a Happy New Year – may good health and success abide with you throughout 2012.

Remember – if you find this version of LOCAL NEWS GLASGOW of use – you can pass it on to your friends and business associates who can also subscribe FREE. Just click on the last line of this newsletter. Since it goes direct to the inbox of around 1000 people, this weekly ENEWS can also be a useful advertising and promotional platform. Contact the ENEWS EDITOR, Grace Franklin on: grace.franklin@ntlworld.com for details.

 

 

Editorial

This website wishes all our 6500 visitors each month – a HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a SUCCESSFUL 2012.

In fact, we wish everyone a joyful time at this festive season. But more than that, we hope that people will share what they have to make life better for all.

It is a curious thing that, often, the more people have the less they are inclined to share.  However as hard times arrive, an increasing number of us will have no choice but to make do and make everything go further.

An abiding memory for me is the day spent in the company of a woman who had two dresses, slept on a wooden shelf in a tiny wooden hut in a warm climate, but who had a natural respect for all and no bitterness.

Shelling peas, she was unperturbed when pods were opened to reveal wee beasties had got to the peas before her. ‘They have to eat too,’ she said. She sent me on my way with fresh eggs from her own hens which clucked around her feet.  She was happy to share what she had. In her belief system nothing was her’s to keep anyhow.  She was simply the custodian of what was around her.

That contentment with little could mean a lot in times ahead.

 

 

 

Silence of the Leaders

Tomorrow, Saturday 17 December, the new leader of the Scottish Labour Party will be announced. The three contenders are Tom Harris MP, Johann Lamont MSP and Ken Macintosh MSP. Throughout the campaign this website has received not one release from any of the three or from the Scottish Labour Party itself. As an independent, responsible, news website of long standing, a request for information and to be kept in touch with progress was made at the beginning of the contest. Each person did respond at that time but not one appears to have any mechanism in place to speak to anyone outside their party or to spread word about what they are doing or planning. Tom can be found if you tweet or choose to go on to his website. Johann’s website restricts what information can be viewed. And Ken’s page to ‘sign up’ for information can’t be found and seems to have been last updated in September.

All of this assumes someone has the online means to find out about these politicians. It is also dependent on the curious person making the effort to seek out the news of each candidate.

This lack of outward communication from three senior politicians would suggest that whoever gets the job is not seriously interested in telling anyone outside the party what they are doing. Maybe they have nothing of substance to tell. Is that not the reason why the Labour Party did so badly at the Scottish Parliament elections?

EDITORIAL

The Princess Royal popped in to the Riverside Museum to open it formally. She was almost the 1 millionth visitor.  In less than six months since the public started streaming into the iconic building, more than 900,000 people have entered. There is no doubt it is popular.

On  similar floor space to the old Transport Museum, there are more than double the number of items on display.  Some of the interactive games were designed by school children who also serve on a Junior Board.  There is no doubt there is a lot to see and do.

But transport to get to and from the place is difficult.

Try walking from the city centre. Choose the picturesque river walkway. It is blocked at several points necessitating the walker to move out to the main road. Then, once off the walkway and past the heliport at the former pump house where the Tall Ship was moored for a long time, the person on foot walks on earth, finds derelict land fenced off to the left and rough embankment leading up to the road on the right. And along the entire route there is only one make-shift sign.

Alternatively, take the river crossing from Govan. Well you can’t now. It has closed for the winter. And there must be a question mark over the cost of such a large vessel being used to cross the few metres from one bank of the river to the other. A small open boat with an outboard engine would do the job in a more sustainable fashion.

Let’s get the connections improved before the 1 million mark. Then everyone can be equally proud of this gem of a place.

EDITORIAL

We are living in strange times. The George Square ‘Occupy Glasgow people’ settled in with high hopes of changing the world. Then a woman who joined them was raped. Glasgow City Council got set to evict them and their huddle of tents from the Square which is needed for Remembrance Day and commercial Christmas events to follow. The Occupy folk hold a nightly ‘assembly’ when all those who are actively involved have their chance to say what they think openly and democratically. While inside the city chambers new security was visible when the last full council meeting was held. On that occasion, it was ticket only into the small public gallery and three women were huckled out when they rose and spoke out in protest at statements made by councillors.

Freedom of speech and freedom of action are being curtailed by the very people who have been elected to look after the wellbeing of the citizens of this great City.

EDITOR’S CORNER

This website is developing new features and has new pages in the offing. Have a look at our ‘Move into Motoring’ by Bruce Booth. He is a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers and also of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers. His knowledge of the insides of engines and his experience in driving – safely – for many years is a valuable basis on which to comment on manufacturers’ current developments. Readers’ comments on this new column will be welcome.

Also new in the city is the Confucius Centre at the University of Glasgow. This wonderful working partnership between this old Scottish, seat of learning and China’s famous Nankai University in the city of Tianjin should be a good example of sharing. There is a high demand from Chinese students for a degree from Scottish and UK university education. So anything that can help increase cultural understanding and language abilities, is important.

In sharp contrast, we have a second Maggie’s Centre opened in Glasgow. The city has an unenviable record of poor health and has one of the highest rates of cancer in the UK. But at least we can do something to care for those with cancer.

 

EDITORIAL

Life, suddenly, is getting serious. There are Christmas cards for sale already. Book your Christmas dinner adverts are appearing all over and we haven’t even started the night classes, yet!

Where is time going? It is fast tracking into winter before autumn starts. That’s especially so when you see the political parties holding their conferences, getting in a tiz over who will be the next leader, and unceremoniously ending the careers of local councillors they judge to be past their sell-by date.

The blood shed during such culls may well fertilise next spring’s crop of problems and green shoots of hope. But with the cold wind of winter swirling around, it leaves a lot of painful wounds open to terminal chill.

Quite the opposite of the Love comes down at Christmas, message.

Monsoon repeats last year’s horror

In a horror repeat of last year, 100,000 people are likely to be displaced by monsoon floods in southern Pakistan. Torrential rains have caused flooding in 23 of the 24 districts of Sindh province. The charity, Islamic Relief has an office in Thatta, Sindh and that is where hygiene kits and shelter are being distributed to around 30,000 residents of the worst hit area, Badin.

Working alongside the Pakistan military and the government’s disaster management authorities, Islamic Relief faces a daunting challenge. Said the charity’s Scottish organiser, Habib Malik, who is due to arrive in Pakistan this weekend: ‘ Because international response to the 2010 floods was woefully inadequate – $600 million short of what the UN needed to get communities back on their feet – some people were still living in temporary shelters when the latest floods hit. These floods have inflicted more misery on communities devastated only a year ago.’

Already 200 people have died in the monsoon waters and an estimated 5 million people are already suffering. Around 1 million houses have been damaged or destroyed and already 200,000 are in makeshift shelters.

Said Habib: ‘With climate change floods like these becoming more frequent and severe, it is not good enough simply to provide emergency aid without helping people to be less vulnerable in the future.’

 

 

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