Collapsed

You don't need to understand the Dutch to appreciate the dramatic scenes as this 1,000 ft high transmitter collapses to the ground. On Friday afternoon, a fire broke out in the upper reaches of the structure as rewiring work was in process. The cause of the blaze is not yet known. Together with technical problems at the main transmitter at Lopik, 120 miles to the south, this has left large areas of Holland without radio or television reception.

Hurricane update - 17 July

Typhoon Ma-on, currently some 700 miles south of Tokyo, is beginning to head towards Japan. The storm will peak at 120 knots by this time tomorrow. Ma-on will then veer northeast and slowly pass just to the south of Japan. There is considerable uncertainty over its proximity to land, and any weakening which will result from passage over land. The storm will be well above 65 knots (the lower threshold for typhoon strength), and is expected to be between 90 and 110 knots as it passes near or to the south of Honshu, Japan. Below image courtesy wunderground.com.

Saturday 16 July - picture post

South of Arnish


Mir


RNLI Lifeboat "Tom Sandersen" between Arnish and Sandwick


Outside the Keepers' Cottage, Arnish


Two replica Sgoths, traditional fishing craft


Sailing ship Prolific






Pelican of London


Coastguard tug Anglian Sovereign


Coastguard helicopter


Arnish Lighthouse

Saturday 16 July

Quite a nice, sunny and at times warm day. When I say warm, I mean that the mercury was in the high 60s. Today, the Tall Ships left Stornoway. The first, the Dar Mlodziezy sneaked out of port at 7.30 am. Her sistership, the Mir went just before five. She had been due to depart at 3.30, leaving large numbers of people waiting and waiting along the seafront in Stornoway and at Arnish Point, as well as Holm Point (on the other side of the water). It was all a bit of a damp squib, with only one other Tall Ship, the Pelican of London departing before the Mir. However, the sun was out, it was nice and warm, and I had ensconsed myself at Arnish, with another dozen people or so. The contingent at Holm Point was even larger, as that is much easier to access. Arnish Point requires a 5 mile drive from Stornoway, followed by a 15 minute walk - or a sump-bashing drive down a rough track.

I shall post the pictures tomorrow, as I am uploading them at the moment, and there are 140 of them.

Friday 15 July

Apart from the Mir, (see previous post), we also had the Pelican of London and the Lord Nelson in port - together with a collection of smaller craft. The Pelican was tied up alongside pier no 2, which is an area of the port that is normally off-limits - it is the point where oil- and gastankers are discharged. The weather, like yesterday, is not very pleasant: it is overcast, dull, with a penetrating breeze and low temperatures (for July). At the moment, we're only in the mid-teens celsius. The Hebridean Celtic Festival is also in full swing, but I am giving that a wholesale miss this year - nothing tickling my fancy.

Pelican of London

I am very pleased with developments in the phone-hacking saga. The Murdochs have conceded to giving evidence to a committee of MPs, the Americans are hopping mad at allegations that 9/11-victims' phones may have been hacked by News Corp employees, not to mention Australians and other nationals. News International CEO Rebekah Brooks has finally decided to fall onto her sword and resigned - and it just gets worse and worse. For them, that is.

On board a Tall Ship

This morning, we were greeted with the magnificent sight of the Russian tallship Mir (peace) on the near side of the ferry pier. The vessel was open for the public, so I went on board and had a walk round its decks. I am posting some pictures of that visit below.

Thursday 14 July

The day started early, with the arrival of the first of the more than a dozen Tall Ships which are due into Stornoway over the next three days. The Eendracht (a Dutch vessel, its name means Unity) passed the Arnish Lighthouse at 7.15 am, followed by the British vessel The Swan a little later. The majestic Polish three-master Dar Mlodziezy pulled in just after 10 o'clock to anchor in Glumag Harbour, right across from my position. A number of smaller vessels also arrived, but they were more difficult for me to track. I monitor shipping traffic around here on AIS, and vessels of 350 tons or less are not required to carry a transponder. In the afternoon, I went into town for a snapping spree. It was decidedly cold and at times wet, so I did not stay long. Later in the evening, it cleared up, providing me with some stunning images of the Polish vessel contrasting against dark skies.


Eendracht






Dar Mlodziezy


The Swan (R) and Alba Endeavour (L)

Tall Ships

Today sees the arrival of several Tall Ships in Stornoway, and the first turned up at 7.15 this morning. The Dutch Eendracht was first on the scene, followed by the British Swan and the Polish Dar Mlodziezy, which now lies anchored in Glumag Harbour, right opposite my position. A fourth ship, the Alba Endeavour, sneaked past my position and tied up at Esplanade Quay a little while ago. At the end of today, I shall post pictures. Meanwhile, the Polish vessel is attracting a lot of attention from sight-seers in cars on the causeway to Goat Island.

Wednesday 13 July

Another nice day, and quite warm (for these parts), with the mercury reaching 20C / 68F at one point. The sun put in a good appearance, although the wind picked up through the afternoon. But a force 4 isn't worth mentioning in the Hebrides.

Went to the library after lunch, and heard the pipes playing in the Narrows. I also caught sight of some youngsters performing a dance by the Pyramid - which they will be doing every day this week. I did not go to take a picture, as I have previously been advised against taking photographs of minors without their parents' or responsible adults' consent.

The collapse of care home operator Southern Cross has also had repercussions in the Western Isles. I refer to the article on Hebrides News. It means uncertainty for vulnerable, elderly residents.

Ma-on

This is the name of the 8th tropical cyclone of the Northwestern Pacific season. The fact that it has a name shows it is at least at tropical storm strength, with winds currently blowing at 55 knots (that's force 10 to 11 on the Beaufort scale), but forecast to increase to 110 knots by next week. This strength would place Ma-on at category III on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

At the moment, Ma-on is more than 600 miles from any land and will not threaten any land, apart from Iwo Jima and Chi Chi Jima, for at least five days. JTWC (the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii) specifically warns that the storm will not follow the most common scenario, namely of veering northeast and being swept away in a much weakened state by the mid-latitude airstream. Japan is currently experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures between 90 and 95F (32 to 35C). The set-up in the atmosphere which has brought this extreme heat will also permit Ma-on to approach Japan unrestrained, and don't be surprised to hear of a category III typhoon (if not worse) making landfall in mainland Japan next week.

Tuesday 12 July

A reasonably nice day with some sunshine. Another cruiseliner, the Christopher Columbus, was in port today. It lay anchored in Glumag Harbour, right opposite my position, and departed for Greenock (near Glasgow) by late afternoon. I went into town to try the library again; this time it was open and I could trawl old copies of the local paper for WW1 tributes to Harris men. I only found 4 for the whole of 1917, and 1 for the island of Berneray. None for the Uists or Barra. The total number of Lewis tributes for 1917 and 1918 stands at 250. The reason may be that communications with the Southern Isles in those days were poor; also, Lewis was part of a different county (Ross & Cromarty) than Harris and the Southern Isles, which were part of Inverness-shire.

It is with grim satisfaction that I am watching the wheels coming off the Rupert Murdoch wagon; the main parties in the Westminster parliament have united to call for his takeover bid of broadcaster BSkyB to be abandoned. Even in the States, his News Corp business has come under scrutiny and criticism. As I have stated twice over the past week or so, I find it iniquitous that a media man should have such tight control over political figures. Who cares that a trash newspaper like the Sun can state it supports this party or that, and its dumb readership then votes for that party?

Glorious Twelfth

In Scotland, the Glorious Twelfth refers to August 12th, when the grouse shooting season opens. It is as much a pointless exercise as July 12th, which is a date of note on the calendar of Northern Ireland. As one of my Twitter contacts put it tersely: "Northern Ireland's Festival of Sectarianism is well underway again. When you mix orange and green you end up with shitty brown". On 12 July, the Protestants in Northern Ireland celebrate the accession to the English throne of William III in 1688, as well as his victory at the battle of the Boyne in 1690.

In 1998, the Good Friday agreement was signed between the warring factions in Ulster, to put an end to the civil war there, euphemistically referred to as the Troubles. The IRA and its protestant counterparts decommissioned their weaponry, but small "dissident" extremist factions have remained active, and the confrontation between the two sides has flared up in recent weeks, culminating in today's Orange marches. I wish they would just ban them. It would also help if Northern Ireland's politics would cease to be demarkated along the lines of religious convictions, rather than that of political conviction.

I have to say, as a Dutchman, that I am deeply ashamed that there is a strong Dutch connection in this unholy saga. William III was William of Orange, the King of the Netherlands in the 17th century. His strongly anti-papal convictions continue to echo through the ages, and have contributed in no mean fashion to the civil strife in the north of Ireland. His role in Scottish history is equally ignominious, in that it was on his orders that the 78 Macdonalds were killed by the Campbells at Glencoe in 1692.

Monday 11 July

A day of varying fortunes in terms of sunshine. A cloudy start was followed by bright sunshine in the afternoon, although the boundary with the cloud lay only a matter of miles to the west of us. The cruisepassengers from the Marco Polo certainly had a chance to see the town smiling in the sunshine.

I was intending to go to the library this afternoon, but was confronted by a locked door and the notice CLOSED. For the past few months, the library has been closed on a Monday, apparently due to cutbacks in service. I have heard several people grumbling about this when I mentioned it on my Twitterfeed. Wish they had publicised these altered opening times a bit more prominently. The town centre is a mere 10 minute walk from my position, but others will be driving in for up to 40 miles to reach Stornoway.

The phone hacking saga, with News International papers allegedly hacking into people's phones, medical records and what not, continues to mushroom. It is with a degree of grim pleasure that I note the mounting discomfort of the likes of Rupert Murdoch and his ilk. His bid to take over BSkyB, to my mind, is dead in the water and his empire in the UK looks in peril. I hope this is the beginning of the end for garbage journalism in this country.

Sunday 10 July

Those two pictures say it all for today. Wet and miserable. As I type the wind is getting up and it seems to be getting colder only 14C today. We're having a northerly wind, so no surprises there. This week, we are having the Hebridean Celtic Festival in town, and the rush will start by the middle of the week. Enjoying a short lull before mayhem breaks loose. Our wee town of 9,000 will have to cope with an influx of 15,000. The Tall Ships will entice more visitors, so the ferry will be bulging at the seams this week. Sorry if I seem to be moaning, but I wouldn't mind a ray of sunshine up here.

The Press - II

Everybody is wailing, tearing out their hair and grinding and gnashing their teeth in despair at the end of the News of the World. I am pleased the title has been taken off the shelves of the news agents', as it is one of a category of papers we can all do without. I, for one, am not interested in the antics of Z-rated celebrities, people in the news and what not. But it is the people behind the tabloids that really need to be tackled.

I find it wholly unacceptable that a newspaper proprietor, like Rupert Murdoch, can dictate who gets into government. It is the job of a journalist to talk to politicians to elicit their true views on the issues of state. It is possible for a journalist to influence his readers by taking a certain slant in his questioning. However, I am disgusted with papers like the News of the World, the Sun and others, who I do not think carry news. And it is garbage like that which is being gobbled up by the masses in their millions; the NotW used to carry a readership of 7.5 million.

Worse than that, the politicians pander to the likes of Murdoch, who is widely despised in this country, by cosying up to him or his acolytes. An example is Rebekah Brooks, who proudly declared to be a friend of David Cameron, the Prime Minister; and I seem to remember that Ed Miliband, the Leader of the Opposition is similarly cosy with one of the Murdoch empire.

I sincerely hope that a lot is going to change with The Press in this country; it is not just the printed press I am not happy with. The General Election of 2010 saw the Prime Ministerial debates, and it was the inclusion of Nick Clegg that brought us a coalition government, which is widely unpopular. "I agree with Nick", was the quote of the first debate, and it elevated Clegg to the same level as the main party leaders, Cameron and Brown - a level that he cannot be on.

The media, as a whole, have a role to play in society. The demise of the NotW has shown that this role needs to be cleaned up, redefined and polished. The government of this country cannot be determined by a businessman, whose sole interest is making a profit. The government of this country will be determined by the voters, who will be guided by their own judgment, aided by responsible journalists.

Saturday 9 July

I am pleased to report that Blogger in Draft is in working order again, after the main problems were sorted out. Give it a whirl, you'll get a pleasant surprise. I hope they implement this version.

It is quite a pleasant day here in Stornoway, although we have not had much sun. It is fairly bright, and quite a contrast to the downpours that have been plaguing areas further south. All play at the Scottish Open Golf at Castle Stewart, Inverness, has had to be suspended as the course had become waterlogged if not completely washed away. Flooding is also reported from the vicinity of Inverness. I'm glad to be in the right place at the right time, weatherwise at least.

This afternoon, I went for an amble to Lower Sandwick, a walk of about 2 miles in total. It is a nice walk, which runs along the shore of Sandwick Bay for the latter part of its length. I returned through the cemetery, then back along the shoreline path. As I was heading back, the ferry sailed past, on its way out to Ullapool.

Next week, the Hebridean Celtic Festival starts, which is a local music and culture festival. Stornoway will be bombed out for it, even more so on Thursday 14th, when the Tall Ships come to call. I have not booked tickets for any of the Hebcelt events (none of them jumped out at me), but will be present at the shore to watch the tall ships approach on the 14th.

And I've made a start with The Count of Monte Christo, by Alexandre Dumas. I have watched a movie about this gripping yarn, and I hope the original story will be just as good if not better. The local bookstore sells classics like this (running at 1,000 pages) for just £2.

Friday 8 July

Quite a nice day today, during which I continued to sort out a variety of things. I have been busy with that this week, but I'm not going to bore you with details. It was in part an exercise with a broom, sweeping away dust from the past. Other bits are shifted less easily, and it may take weeks to clear everything up.

I have resumed my activity regarding witnesses from the Napier Commission of 1883, which had kept me busy until I went on holiday 5 weeks ago. I am now looking at people from Barra, who gave evidence on 26 May 1883.

Until earlier this week, I was using Blogger in Draft, in which Blogger tests out new features. I had to leave the programme, because the latest version was full of bugs. I had to start implementing work-arounds to avoid dud links and other problems, so I switched back to the proper version of Blogger.

The Press

The News of the World newspaper will be closed down after Sunday, 168 years after its first publication. Its 200 staff are to be laid off, although they will have the opportunity to apply for jobs elsewhere in the parent company. The newspaper will be shut down on account of serious misconduct by previous management, under the aegis of the same parent company.

That company, News Corp or News International, is interested only in making money, which in itself is not a bad thing. The methods they deploy through their various pieces of toiletpaper, otherwise known as tabloid newspapers, are. Who the h*** do they think they are to announce that they will support this or that political party, thereby determining the outcome of a general election? But then, it was a piece of television journalism that led to today's subtractive coalition government in London, by placing the Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg, on the same platform as Labour and Conservative Party leaders Brown and Cameron.

In principle, I have nothing against journalists as a group. I have a lot of respect for newspaper, television and radio journalists who, through uncomfortable questioning, elicit responses from (e.g.) politicians and others to eke out their true intentions and opinions. But to use illegal methods, such as phone tapping, is not acceptable. It does not matter whether we're talking about people in the limelight, or about victims of crime or war. The law is the law, and those that sanction such methods should face the consequences. And that goes as high as the Murdochs, whose empire I am ranting against.

It's not the News of the World that should be shut down. It's the Murdoch empire that ought to be ditched.

Thursday 7 July

Today is 6 years ago that four suicide bombers detonated their devices on board three London Underground trains and a number 30 bus at Tavistock Square in London. Fifty-two people were killed and hundreds injured. This atrocity was to be followed two weeks later by a similar series of attacks which, with good fortune, were all abortive. Today, my thoughts are with the families of the deceased, and with those who were injured or otherwise affected by what has become known as "7/7".

Wednesday 6 July

Quite a dreich day, with overcast skies and occasional drizzle. The news was full of allegations about journalists hacking into people's mobile phones, including victims of crime, terrorism and war. The political twist is never far away, particularly as one editor is a good friend of the Prime Minister. I have never held British journalism in high regard, as they just don't know when to stop. The word "Morals" seems to be erased from their dictionary, with sales figures being more important than actually doing your job right. They claim to supply what the readers want; I think that should be changed into "what they think the readers want". Eugh.

Locally, the closure of Sandwick Road, the main road heading east out of Stornoway, is over, and the diversion past my position lifted. But there is a suggestion, to be investigated by Scottish Water, that a drain has collapsed under the weight of all those lorries whizzing round the corner here. There is now a distinct smell, and not a terribly pleasant one, in this area. Lorries come past here at any rate, as the marshalling yard is just up the road. The HGV's do have an alternative route: down Sandwick Road. Let's see what transpires.