2009 October 05

Contraceptive For Men

October 5, 2009 By strawberryletter1 Leave a Comment

By Lauren Gelling

Image courtesy of BBC NEWS

A new form contraceptive is being offered to men across south-east Scotland.

Scientists from Edinburgh University, in conjunction with the World Health Organisation, are looking for twenty couples to try the injection for one year.

The jab, which is said to be better than condoms at preventing pregnancy and just as effective as the female contraceptive pill, will be given to the male every two months. It contains the hormones testosterone and progesterone to decrease the sperm count, however, scientists say that the effects are fully reversible. It is hoped that the method may become more available if trials are successful.

The overall study will monitor 400 couples, with ten centres across Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. The ideal candidates are men under 45 and women under 37.

Dr Alison Douglas, from the University of Edinburgh’s Centre of Integrative Physiology, said: “Preliminary trials indicate that this is a valid alternative to the female contraceptive pill and this new trial will establish whether longer acting injections will be practical and usable for couples in the future.”

A spokesperson at the Family Planning Association said: “It is important that research continues to try and give men more contraceptive choice. But it is crucial that any new contraceptive is rigorously tested to make sure it is safe and effective.”

Filed Under: Life and Society, Science and Technology Tagged With: Contraceptive, Edinburgh, men, Scotland, trial

2010 Hogmanay with Off Kilter at Edinburgh

October 5, 2009 By Burcin Mertcan 3 Comments

Image courtesy of Ruth Finally, Press and PR Manager

Image courtesy of Ruth Findlay, Press and PR Manager for Off Kilter

BY BURCIN MERTCAN

Despite the tram works on Edinburgh’s Princes Street the Hogmanay celebrations are going to be projected smoothly.

Edinburgh’s trams project could end up £200m over budget. The trams project started on Princes Street, on 21 February 2009 and it will last until the end of November 2009. The Edinburgh’s trams project is making stable progress and it will be completed on time for the 2010 Hogmanay event.

Every year thousands of people celebrate and enjoy the events at the Concert in the Gardens with famous bands playing and the street parties that take over Princes Street and more to come with Off Kilter at Edinburgh.

There will be many different cultural dance show performances; Scottish, Indian, Classic, Hip-Hop, and many more shows confirmed by Ruth Findlay, Press and PR Manager for Off Kilter. Every year Edinburgh puts on a firework display above the Edinburgh Castle, dazzling the city with wonderful colourful sparks. A city which invites everyone to enjoy, with its amazing view and revelling in unforgettable time with family and friends.

Madness are this year’s Hogmanay celebrations headline act playing hits like ‘Baggy Trousers’ and ‘House of Fun.’ Tickets will be on sale, Saturday 10 October at 9am, cost ten pounds.

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: Edinburgh, Hogmanay, music

Twin Atlantic (Studio 24, 2/10/2009)

October 5, 2009 By Brionny Leave a Comment

BY BRIONNY LEIPER

Image courtesy of www.citylife.co.uk

Studio 24 is tucked away on Calton Road and is a small sweatbox of a club popular with students.

With the venue rammed to capacity despite the odd drunk being thrown outside and those underage-with-their-pre-show-bottle-of-cider being breathalysed and not allowed in, the energy inside boils over as Scotland’s latest homegrown heroes take to the stage.

Hailing from Glasgow, Twinny as they’re affectionately known, have been working hard for the last couple of years. Having landed support slots with the likes of Funeral For A Friend and Taking Back Sunday, the band have definitely upped their game and have began crafting solid and memorable shows for their loyal fanbase.

On their return to Edinburgh from a jaunt around the other parts of this isle, the band are met by a wall of sound and an audience desperate to demonstrate their love for songs in a familiar accent. From the moment the band step onto the stage, the crowd are eating from the palm of frontman Sam McTrusty’s hand as he pushes and pulls and works the energy to fever pitch.

With the set list consisting of a mix of old favourites and a few more recent tracks off their debut ‘Vivarium’, there’s plenty here for old and news fans alike. For such a young band, it is refreshing to see Twin Atlantic taking their music seriously but genuinely enjoying the moment and engaging with the people on the floor.

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: Edinburgh, music

Parliament splash out on building during economic slump

October 5, 2009 By robbo09 Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com

By Matthew Robertson

Taxpayers have once again paid the price, as it has been announced that over the last five years, they have had fork out over £4 million for maintenance costs for the Scottish Parliamentary buildings in Holyrood.

This coming off the back of numerous occasions of over expenditure demonstrated by the government, such as the 2012 London olympics, is another kick in the teeth for the general public and is another example of how this country constantly fails to keep its financial budgets in order.

MSPS are perhaps the most illustrious of names of people who have lined up to criticise the cost of the famous buildings, as they blamed the “extravagant” designs for the high costs in maintenance.However, things such as security and cleaning lead to the buildup of cash spend on this project.New figures which were recently published this year show that a bill of £1.3 million was reached last year alone. This was mainly down to unscheduled maintenance such as the varnishing of the oak poles at the front of the building, reconstruction of the elevators and the cleaning of the premises such windows and flooring.

The figures also showed that one contractor, Norland, was paid a total of £5.1m for mechanical, electrical and fabric maintenance and work on security projects.When asked whether they felt that the money was well spent, Norland replied”We, along with the parliament feel that the finances spent of maintenance were necessary and will provide the country with a building they can be proud of”.

For a building which has been open for five years now, it could be said that there are some areas for improvement. For example a Scottish Parliament spokeswoman said “Holyrood is a unique building which is used by up to 1,000 people every day as well as more than 350,000 visitors a year. Naturally this has an impact on maintenance. We constantly review and develop our maintenance plans to ensure that cost-effective solutions are delivered.”

But when times are as tough as they currently are, this particular government debacle is hardly music to the public’s ears.

Filed Under: All Politics, Economy and Business Tagged With: Holyrood, MSPS, Olympics, Scottish Parliament

Lollipop Man resigns after sweets and high-five ban

October 5, 2009 By benjaminzand Leave a Comment

By BENJAMIN ZAND

Picture courtesy of http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Lollipop-man-quits-over-ban.5703222.jp

69 year old John Hunter has been banned from giving out his trade-mark sweets and high-fives. Picture courtesy of Edinburgh News/Scotsman

LOLLIPOP MAN John Hunter has quit after being told he cannot give out sweets or high-fives to children due to ‘health and safety reasons‘.

John Hunter, a 69 year old Lollipop man at Corstorphine Primary School, has held the position for 10 years and has become a highlight of the children’s day due to his trade-mark friendly antics. John decided to quit after being told by his boss that his actions were dangerous. Although there was no comment as to why this was, it is believed to have stemmed from an incident were he unknowingly gave a child with a nut allergy, some chocolate that contained nuts. This also resulted in the child’s parents complaining about the high-fives.

It is said children love to line-up for his high fives, and John enjoys handing out chocolates and sweets on his birthday and Christmas.

John Hunter, who has worked for Edinburgh City Council for 40 years, was also a student at Corstorphine Primary, and therefore has a strong connection with the school. He decided to take the position up after retiring from his former job as a roads maintenance inspector.

It is believed many parents have acted strongly to the situation, large numbers writing in to complain to the school, and many have expressed disbelief to the situation the friendly, well-trusted and very popular Lollipop man has been put in, and it is thought the children will miss him greatly.

Labour’s education spokesman, councillor Ricky Henderson, said: “I think they (the council) have taken it a bit too far. It seems like an overreaction which has put this poor guy in a position where he felt he had no option but to resign, and that it is very sad given that he obviously had a good relationship with parents and children at the school. He is entitled to a full explanation.”

A spokeswoman from Edinburgh City Council has stated: “We are really sad that John is leaving his post. Over the years, he has provided excellent service and a friendly smile to parents and pupils at Corstorphine Primary.”

Sourced from BBC Scotland and Edinburgh News

Filed Under: Life and Society, News in Brief Tagged With: 69 year old quits, Ban on sweets and high-fives, Edinburgh, Education, Lollipop Man banned

Cervical Cancer Jab – the solution?

October 5, 2009 By sianlower Leave a Comment

531-home Following the tragic death of teenager Natalie Morton in University Hospital in Coventry,England on the same day she was given the cervical cancer jab Cervarix, many mothers are showing increasing concern for their daughter’s well-being.

70% of the UK’s 12-13 year old female population having had the vaccineand still the facts about the Human Pappillomavirus and cervical cancer vaccine are widely unknown, as are the symptoms and treatments. Is this jab the way forward, or a quick fix?

1000 women a year die from cervical cancer in Scotland, yet until very recently many women ignored or put off calls for their routine smear tests with their nurse or GP and did not take it very seriously. Of course, since the death of Big Brother housemate Jade Goody in 2009, the public have been much more aware of the threat this cancer poses, and why it mustn’t go left unchecked. Now a 14 year old girl has died the same day she was given the vaccine, campaigners ask – isn’t it time for the Government to set the record straight on the pros and cons of this immunisation?

Symptoms of cervical cancer include vaginal bleeding, or pain during sex. Previously,many women may have been too embarrassed to go to their GP but this is a dangerous route to take. Now, women are frightened that the only known way of preventing the disease is actually harming them.

Fiona Jean Howson – Programme Leader (Adult Branch) of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Care Edinburgh stated,

” As professionals working in the health care setting, we recognize that the HPV vaccine is a major breakthrough in the prevention of cervical cancer and therefore, support the right of young people to obtain equal access to the HPV vaccine, supporting the RSN perspective“.

As the death of the young teenage girl has not been thus far directly linked to the vaccine, many mothers are still sending their daughters to be vaccinated, as they see this as the safest option. Until there is more evidence against the immunisation, this may be the safest action to take in order to prevent HPV in young women in the future.

Filed Under: Life and Society Tagged With: Cervical Cancer

Ambulance Service are overwhelmed by Alcohol Call-Outs.

October 5, 2009 By nikkihunter Leave a Comment

Latest figures from the ambulance service reveal that 68% of all weekend calls which require paramedic assistance are caused by alcohol abuse. The incidents can range from anti-social behaviour, people injuring themselves from being intoxicated with alcohol and ending up so drunk that they are in need of hospitalisation. This is beginning to delay the service from coping with real emergencies during the weekend beginning Friday running through Saturday and ending early Sunday morning. The figures are from the Ambulance Service records that have been taken every weekend since April 2009.

John Morton of the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “This means we are being called out to people who are simply drunk and incapable of moving whereas we could be dealing with more urgent and serious calls. I would encourage any initiative that would help us to have more responsible drinking.”

Labour health spokeswoman Cathy Jamieson feels the “Challenge 21″ policy should now be mandatory and the police should be enforcing the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. This would stop alcohol being sold to underage children and see less calls being made to ambulance services.

Alcohol Abuse

The Government are trying to introduce a minimum price of alcohol which could save Scotland up to £950m over the next 10 years by reducing the harmful effects of alcohol and with the Scottish public not drinking as much, ambulance services would have more time to deal with serious emergencies. Alcohol would now be priced at 40p per unit level and would end up costing a moderate drinker £11 more a year, however a heavy drinker could be spending £137 more a year.

Filed Under: Life and Society Tagged With: alcohol, emergency services, Health

Bathgate Branching Out… Again

October 5, 2009 By euanandrew Leave a Comment

by E. J. Andrew

Courtesy of Freefoto.com

Network Rail has recently revealed that the opening of it’s railway link between Bathgate and Edinburgh is now expected to cost over £370m. Craig Bowman, Press Manager for Network Rail Scotland, has said today that the build “is anticipated to cost around £370m” though these figures are still subject to change. He went on to say that despite the cost increase the construction is still expected to “be completed in December of 2010 as previously announced.”

Bowman explained that these budget projections are consistent with the inflation that has occurred between the start of 2006 and now.

As of early 2007 Network Rail has been aiming to improve the railway link between Airdrie and Edinburgh. It sits as a midpoint between the two, Bathgate is currently in the midst of somewhat of a revival, with the existing train line to Edinburgh being vastly improved from what it was previously as it is being developed from a single track to a double track railway line.

Along with this, the contractors being used by Network Rail have set a precedence by aiming to employ most trainees from the surrounding areas, allowing for increased prosperity in both Bathgate and Airdrie.

With Network Rail at the helm of the project there is a positive attitude surrounding the build as there is increased focus on the availability of another rail link between East and West coasts of Scotland whilst including the smaller towns of the Central Belt and allowing for access to the larger cities. So whilst the construction is going on, things are looking up for Bathgate and Airdrie.

Filed Under: Features, Travel and Communities Tagged With: Bathgate, Edinburgh to Glasgow, Train

Grand Theft Auto creator comes to Napier

October 5, 2009 By Brionny Leave a Comment

BY BRIONNY LEIPER

A state of the art computer game facility was opened at Edinburgh Napier University on Monday October 5th.

The University’s School of Computing welcomed former student Brian Baglow, a producer of the popular ‘Grand Theft Auto’ game, to officially open the new game design lab.

Picture courtesy of www.gametrailers.com

The lab will provide resources for students on the university’s new Bsc in Interactive Entertainment. With 24 networked computers and Xbox 360s, a 50-inch plasma television, projection screens and software for robotics development, the degree will help future games programmers hone their skills.

Sally Smith, Head of the School of Computing said: “students will be able to design and develop their own games in a state of the art environment.”

The degree will also teach students how to bring networking and programming together and how to work across various gaming platforms.

In the UK, the games industry was worth an estimated 4 billion GBP in 2008 according to a report by ELSPA. Over 20 million games were sold for the Nintendo Wii, a quarter of the UK’s game sales. Xbox 360 sales were up by 51% last year and PlayStation 3 software made around 334 million GBP. The platform’s popularity has grown after many retailers dropped their prices in the wake of the worldwide recession.

Filed Under: Science and Technology Tagged With: Computer games, Edinburgh Napier University, Education

China to strengthen ties with outcast neighbour North Korea

October 5, 2009 By Phynch Leave a Comment

by Christian McBride

China has committed to strengthening ties with it’s politically outcast neighbour North Korea. This can be seen as a move on the part China to keep a potentially volatile neighbour close to them in to avoid potential future aggravation. North Korea having recently driven forward in its missile test program, having successfully test launched missiles theoretically capable of reaching well into Japan, China and Russia against the will of the UN it can potentially grow into a threat if left out of the political community.

This should not be seen so much as Communist countries banding together as they had done under the 20th centuries communist bloc. The older communist alliances were bound together by ideology where as Dr Luke March, a political lecturer at Edinburgh University specialising in Soviet and post Soviet relations, observes that “North Korea is some what an aging communist dinosaur, clinging to a ‘retro’ style of communism, where as in China it’s pretty much a capitalist country with a communist party in power, it’s just a label.” However other regional powers have pressed on Beijing to use crucial control over supplies on energy and other resources to North Korea in order to curtail Pyongyang’s missile development program.

This development does give rise to some political heat in the wake of recent actions by India and South Korea undercutting recent easing of tensions with North Korea. But recent actions have gone towards the easing of Nuclear tensions.