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In
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In the News - November and December 2008 |
For a change, we start off this month with music to announce that Peter Gregson (91-04) has won the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award for Music. The Scotsman reported that Peter 'set the tone for a night of surprise winners' and quoted him as saying that he had actually voted for K T Tunstall! The awards were broadcast on STV on St Andrews Day and other nominees in the music section included 'rising stars' Glasvegas and the modern folk trio, Lau. Congratulations to Peter… and thanks to all those who let me know.
While on the subject, music by Jonathan Pitkin (88-96) was heard on Radio 3 at the start of December; Con Spirito, for piano and disklavier, was nominated in the instrumental category for this year's British Composer Awards. He is to be congratulated on the nomination though on the night, he lost out to Judith Bingham with her Fantasia from The Lost Works of Paganini. Radio 3 last Thursday also featured a setting of works by Henry Marsh (staff 74-06). The BBC Singers performed a piece for four-part choir, 'Sunlight on a pale green ocean', by the composer Christopher Brown, based on four of Henry's poems.
Finally, on music, James Ingham (86-97) was interviewed for The Evening News on 4th December. James is a guitarist with the band Hamfatter, which was backed by Peter Jones on BBC Two's Dragon's Den. On being asked about memories of school, his comment on the Academy was that he didn't realised how much he enjoyed it until he left!
The Scottish Legal Review, the legal section of The Scotsman, featured two Accies last month. Under the charities section, Simon Mackintosh (64-70:Court Chairman 07—) was quoted on the subject of OSCR's review of charities, which was delayed for over six months. 'It is very difficult for a charity to be subjected to a review of its status that goes on for over a year,' he said. 'From a fund raiser's perspective, it is not a good thing at all'. Drysdale Graham (63-76) was the author of a 'briefing' in the same issue, discussing what a challenging year it has been for privately financed infrastructure projects in Scotland.
While on the law, the firm Gillespie Macandrew have been reported as expecting flat profits in the current financial year. Managing partner Ian Turnbull (62-75) was quoted as saying that 'although times were tough, the firm was weathering the credit crunch'. There was also a snippet on Lord Carloway (Colin Sutherland, 67-71) in The Scotsman saying he must have been 'close to pulling out the curls from his wig' over delays that have blighted an appeal case. He had recorded what was minuted to have happened at the hearings 'at the risk of inducing despair'.
To politics and Geoff Mawdsley (69-83) has written a 'focus' article in The Scotsman on the findings of the Calman Commission. 'Ditching the Barnett Formula would let us look at new ways of deciding how much is spent in Scotland,' he says, and suggested that 'splitting taxes could keep the UK together'. A similar subject was tackled on Radio 4's programme Analysis entitled 'Blowback from Edinburgh, on which Tam Dalyell (39-41) warned that the Labour Party was 'attempting to ride two horses at once, which is always dangerous'. On a subject nearer to home, Mike Pringle (59-64), MSP for Edinburgh South, was lamenting the decision to close Warrender Park post office as a 'hammer blow to the local community'.
On a literary note, Professor Rab Houston (62-73) had his book Scotland: a very short introduction reviewed in The Scotsman at the start of November. The reviewer felt that the book was 'clear and certainly concise, but at times it frustrates' though concluded that 'it's better to view the book as a catalyst that prompts further reading' and that was 'no bad outcome for an introductory text'. Other literary Academicals have been busy with their pens in writing letters to the papers recently. Ranald Coyne (44-46) had to correct a report in The Scotsman which said that the Tornado was the first steam locomotive to be built in Britain for nearly half a century because 'Ravenglass Railway in Cumbria has been building steam locomotives for many years'. John Edward (73-87) responded to a report and photo of a nearly empty chamber of the European Parliament during a debate on the financial crisis. John pointed out that at the start of the debate the chamber had been 'an almost full house', belying the impression given by the photograph. Finally, Fenton Robb (38-39) asked that the central heating and insulation grant schemes be accelerated to help with the energy predicament. 'No new technology is involved,' he wrote, 'and the results are guaranteed'.
To sports and The Scotsman reports that Andy Noble (89-02), after having been out of action because of a knee injury, was in the British skiing world cup team in Sunday's world cup event in Beaver Creek, Colorado. The Olympic champion Benjamin Raich of Austria won the event. As has become usual, there has been no lack of photos and articles on Accie rugby players in recent weeks.
With Mike Blair (86-99) captaining Scotland and Edinburgh at present, and by way of reward attending the IRB Awards Dinner in London, as one of the five nominees for World Player of Player of the Year, he must now be a recognisable face even to the football fans. After Edinburgh's frustrating loss to Wasps on Friday night, Mike was described in The Daily Mail as 'the best player on the pitch' who 'played as if his life depended on it'.
Phil Godman (90-95) plays alongside him for Edinburgh and Scotland and was quoted in The Evening News as having been 'playing at half-back with Mike Blair since early school days'. Good to see that Phil is emphasising his Academy pedigree!
Also in the Edinburgh side for their two recent matches were Ross Rennie (91-04), happily restored after a long lay-off due to injury, and David Blair (90-03), on the subs bench.
Sadly missing from the line-up at present is Dave Callam (87-91) who has undergone a thigh operation and who faces a lengthy spell of rehab.
Away from the professional game the Accies are having a roller coaster ride in Division One. A fine win over last season's champions, Boroughmuir, was followed by a defeat from bottom club, Stirling County. The team is led from the front by Dan Teague (86-99), and other ex-Academy players in the squad include Alex Blair (95-08), Tom Brown (02-08), Chris Dickie (97-03), Jamie Henderson (90-00) and Stuart Moffat (82-95). The headlines recently have to gone to the 'rookie' with the sub-editor in the News last week unable to resist 'Tom Brown's rugby school days take another leap'
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