Save Newsweek Scotland : Scottish Parliament Motion

BBC Responsibility to Provide In-depth Analysis of News and Current Affairs

That the Parliament notes with concern that what it considers the excellent weekly Radio Scotland programme, Newsweek Scotland, presented by Derek Bateman, is due to end early in 2012; considers that this will deprive listeners of the only remaining in-depth weekly analysis of news and current affairs in the period leading up to the Scottish referendum, during which time it considers that the general public has a right to expect the highest quality information and examination to be provided by the BBC, and so urges the BBC Trust to reverse this decision and ensure that the corporation meets its obligation to its audience.

via scottish.parliament.uk

Posted via email from Tony Gurney's Pre-posterous

The myths of independence | Herald Scotland

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tackles head on some of the claims being made by Unionists about Scotland’s prospects for going it alone

via heraldscotland.com

Posted via email from Tony Gurney's Pre-posterous

Citigroup Clear that Independent Scotland Financially Viable

We certainly do not rule out a break-up of the UK over time. ONS data suggest that an independent Scotland would have a slightly better fiscal position than the rest of the UK [assuming Scotland gets its geographic share of oil and gas receipts]. Scotland could have a viable future as an independent country, although there are a lot of questions that would have to be resolved before that happens.

via telegraph.co.uk

Posted via email from Tony Gurney's Pre-posterous

Billy Bragg on Scottish independence - Arts Blog - Scotsman.com

The doyen of political protest, Billy Bragg, has added his voice to the cause of Scottish independence. Ahead of a gig in Edinburgh next month, he tells our reporter that the end of Britain could herald a new England led by a centre-left party akin to the SNP

via scotsman.com

Posted via email from Tony Gurney's Pre-posterous

North Sea oil will last for 100 years' - Telegraph

Dr Richard Pike, a former oil industry consultant and now the chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: "Rather than only getting 20 to 30 billion barrels [from the North Sea] we are probably looking at more than twice that amount."

His analysis is supported by petroleum experts who believe there are some 300 fields off the coast of Britain still to be explored and tapped properly. If energy prices continue to soar, companies will become increasingly willing to tap previously uneconomic oil fields.

via telegraph.co.uk

Who would have thought the Telegraph would help the Independence cause?

Posted via email from Tony Gurney's Pre-posterous

How black gold was hijacked: North sea oil and the betrayal of Scotland - The Independent

It was a document that could have changed the course of Scottish history. Nineteen pages long, Written in an elegant, understated academic hand by the leading Scottish economist Gavin McCrone, presented to the Cabinet office in April 1975 and subsequently buried in a Westminster vault for thirty years. It revealed how North Sea oil could have made an independent Scotland as prosperous as Switzerland.

via independent.co.uk

Posted via email from Tony Gurney's Pre-posterous

IBM Press room - 2012-01-10 University of the West of Scotland Teams with IBM to Tackle Skills Gap - United Kingdom

LONDON, U.K. - 10 Jan 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced an academic collaboration with University of the West of Scotland that gives students access to IBM software and technology training needed to gain new skills in business analytics and business modelling that are increasingly required by employers.

The IBM Academic Initiative is a global programme that facilitates the collaboration between IBM and educators to teach students the technology skills they need to be competitive and keep pace with changes in the workplace. Members of the IBM Academic Initiative get free access to hardware, full-version software, professionally developed courseware, training, books and other discounts.

With almost 17,000 students and around 1,400 staff, University of the West of Scotland is unique in its geographical coverage across the West of Scotland with four campuses in the region. The University has extensive expertise in research and development and collaborative working relationships with companies in the UK and abroad to prepare students for employment upon graduation.

via www-03.ibm.com

Posted via email from Tony Gurney's Pre-posterous

Plan Your Free Online Education at Lifehacker U: Spring Semester 2012

Your education doesn't have to stop once you get out of school—being free of the classroom just means you have more control over what you learn and when you learn it. We've put together a curriculum of some of the best free online classes available on the web this spring for the first term of Lifehacker U, our regularly-updating guide to improving your life with free, online college-level classes. Let's get started.

via lifehacker.com

Posted via email from Tony Gurney's Pre-posterous

Learn to Code in 2012 with Free Weekly Programming Lessons from Codecademy

If learning to code is one of your goals or New Year's resolutions, then Code Year is a program for you. The initiative, provided by previously mentioned webapp Codecademy will email you free interactive programming lessons each week.

via lifehacker.com

Posted via email from Tony Gurney's Pre-posterous