Wind turbines – Films – Books- Police attack Cyber-bullying – Crafts
Donald Trump arrived in Scotland yesterday according to the BBC, as he is due to appear at Holyrood this week. He recently announced that he has allocated around £10m to fend off the development of the wind energy industry in Scotland.
Rob Edwards, Environment Editor of The Herald, has uncovered a letter which the Trump Organization sent to the First Minister some time ago supporting and endorsing The Scottish Government’s efforts to encourage more energy production from renewable sources, in particular wind. So it promises to be an interesting week at Holyrood.
Friends of the Earth Scotland has today released the results of a YouGov poll showing that Scots overwhelmingly support the transition to renewable energy, and want to see Scotland move away from the use of gas and coal to produce household electricity.
Releasing the poll results in the run up to Trump’s appearance at the Scottish Parliamentary inquiry into Scotland’s renewables targets, the organisation states that Donald Trump’s well-publicised anti-renewables stance is ‘completely out of step with Scottish public opinion’.
Stan Blackley, Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:-“Scotland is uniquely placed to lead the transition to a renewables-based energy future and it is clear that this move has enormous public support. This poll shows that the carbon
dinosaurs who want to build new thermal power stations, and ill-informed doom-mongers such as Donald Trump, are completely out of step with Scottish public opinion.”
The poll reveals that almost nine out of ten Scots (88 percent of those polled) support reducing Britain’s reliance on imported gas and coal for the production of household electricity, and instead want to see an increase in the amount of electricity produced from domestic renewable sources, such as wave and tidal, wind and solar.
When they were asked which three specific sources they would most like to see providing their household electricity in ten years time, the most popular choice amongst those polled was wave and tidal (chosen by 71% overall, with 32 percent of first choices), the second most popular choice was wind (chosen by 65% overall, with 18 percent of first choices) and the third most popular choice was solar (chosen by 57% overall, with 15 percent of first choices). Coal and gas received only 2 percent of first choices respectively.
The poll also shows that the majority of Scots (73 percent of those polled) believe that their household electricity is already produced in Scotland, and 82% think that it should be produced in Scotland in the future. 46 percent of those polled opposed increasing the number of any new gas-fired power stations across Britain.
Stan Blackley, Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, added:-“This poll shows that the vast majority of Scots want to move away from dirty gas and coal-powered electricity generation that relies on expensive, imported fuel and have their household electricity produced in Scotland through clean, safe and renewable methods in the future, especially wave and tidal, wind and solar power.
“Recent figures released by the Scottish Government show that 35 percent of Scotland’s electricity demand in 2011 was met from renewable sources, and this figure is set to increase in the coming years as more renewables devices come on-stream. We are convinced that Scotland will achieve its target for 100 percent of electricity demand to be supplied from renewable sources by 2020 and this poll makes it clear that the overwhelming majority of Scots want this and will welcome this when it happens.”
There are currently 7 Gigawatts of renewable projects operational, under construction or consented in Scotland, and it is estimated that Scotland has enough capacity operational and in the planning system to meet up to three quarters of its electricity demand. Furthermore, there is a pipeline of 17 Gigawatts of renewable electricity projects – nearly three times peak Scottish demand.
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A story of a fabulously wealthy sheikh trying to introduce salmon to the rivers of an Arabian country is a rather fantastic tale, but the result is a very entertaining film. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen stars Scottish actor, Ewan McGregor along with Emily Blunt, and The Edinburgh Reporter went to see it yesterday. The Highland scenery contrasts well with the Yemen (actually it is Morocco) and the idea becomes somehow more credible minute by minute. It is not all about the power of money though, this particular sheikh had more of an ideological reason for his scheme.
It is The Edinburgh Reporter recommendation of the week, and here is where you can see it today…..
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Vue Cinemas – Greenside Place, Omni Leisure Building
12:10 – 14:50 – 17:30 – 20:10 |
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Cameo Cinema – 38 Home Street
13:15 – 13:50 – 15:45 – 16:00 – 18:15 – 18:40 – 20:45 – 21:00 |
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ODEON – 118 Lothian Road
14:30 – 17:30 – 19:50 |
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Dominion Cinema – 18 Newbattle Terrace
15:25 – 17:40 – 20:25 |
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Vue Cinemas – Edinburgh Ocean Terminal – Ocean Drive – Victoria Dock – Leith, Ocean Terminal
11:40 – 14:20 – 16:55 – 19:30 |
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Cineworld – – Fountain Park, 130/3 Dundee Street
12:10 – 14:45 – 17:20 – 20:00 |
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ODEON Wester Hailes – Westside Plaza, 120 Wester Hailes Road
15:10 – 17:45 – 20:10 |
Here is the trailer
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Tonight is World Book Night. The brainwave of Edinburgh publisher, Jamie Byng, this is the second year that a defined list of bookswill simply be given away. This is how they explain the event:-“25 titles are specially chosen and printed in their thousands in World Book Night editions. Givers apply to give away a particular book (you get a first, second and third choice) which they must commit to give away to those who don’t regularly read, to share and spread their love of reading. Each Giver receives 24 copies which they pick up from their local bookshops and libraries – the very heart of our reading communities – in the week before April 23.
The greatest reading journeys start when you put a book in to someone’s hand and say ‘this one’s amazing, you have to read it’ and World Book Night will give that experience to a million new readers on April 23.” Are you a giver? Please tell us if you are! Or do tell us if you receive a book.
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Lothian and Borders Police are launching an internet safety campaign today in Leith to tackle cyber-bullying.
Officers from the Safer Neighbourhood Team will visit all primary schools in the area to promote the “Online Bullying – Don’t Play The Game” event, which targets pupils in Primary 6 and 7. The youngsters will receive a presentation using materials from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Unit (CEOP) that highlights the potential risks of using the internet and promotes safe online practices.
Parents will also have the chance to attend these seminars and ask any questions they may have in relation to internet safety for their children. As part of the campaign, which runs from today until Friday 4th May, school pupils will be asked to design a poster on the issue of cyber-bullying.
The winning poster will then be exhibited in many public buildings throughout Leith, including police stations, libraries and community centres.
Sergeant Colin Johnston said:- “Social networking and online communication has become increasingly popular with the younger members of our communities and it is essential that children are provided with all the necessary advice and information for staying safe while online.
“This campaign is focussed on education so that iinternet users can identify the types of behaviour that constitutes cyber-bullying and avoid committing these offences. We also hope that, as a result of our engagement with schools, anyone who observes cyber-bullying or believes they are currently victim to it will come forward and report the matter to police.”
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Remember Granny Green’s meet tonight at The Red Squirrel. Here is what they say on their website:–
Granny Green’s Big Night Out is a weekly gathering of crafters and creatives based in Edinburgh. Open to all, we are a mixture of skilled and beginners, old and young, professionals and hobbyists, male and female, there’s room for everyone. We meet every Monday night from 6-8pm at the Red Squirrel pub on Lothian Road. Drop in at any point for a warm welcome.
We have regular craft drop-ins where you can bring whatever you’re working on and occasionally host more structured workshops with the opportunity to learn new crafts and skills.
Our book group meets bi-monthly and copies of the latest book are available to borrow courtesy of Edinburgh City Libraries. Sometimes we even put the knitting aside and venture out and about in Edinburgh.
This is a Big Night Out worth being a part of!
We’re based at the Red Squirrel, 21 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH1 2DJ.
