Comment

The Death of Journalism

Some might say journalism hasn't existed at the Daily Mail in a long time. Here's a good example of why. In a story posted this morning at 10:04 the Mail says:

The much-vaunted new iPhone 4 may be recalled, Apple boss Steve Jobs revealed last night.

Posting a message on the social networking site Twitter, the tycoon said: 'We may have to recall the new iPhone. This I did not expect.'

I'm sure the first thing a journalist would do is get another source, or at least check the authenticity of their single source. The biog of the Twitter user in question finishes with the sentence "Of course this is a parody account".

Before the day is out the Daily Mail will have silently updated their story, pretending the text I quoted above was never published. No apology, no visible correction.

I wonder how many of their other articles are repackaging of lies and gossip?

Greenbelt

Wish I was there

For a long time Emma and I had intended to be in Scotland this weekend, at the very first Solas Festival.

Solas is a new independent festival handmade in Scotland, vitalised with the same spirit that's behind Greenbelt.

The weather forecast for the weekend looks good and I'm terribly jealous of those who'll be there. We had to decide between two possible places to be this weekend and good friends won out. Still a little piece of my heart will be in a field in South Lanarkshire.

Places

Democratic

Staying so close to the Scottish Parliament complex we felt we had to take a tour of the buildings before catching our train home.

Not only is the building beautiful, but it was fascinating to gain an insight into the workings of the devolved Government. Here the clumsy mechanics of Westminster seemed to be replaced by well thought out systems and structures, designed to make the governing process transparent and accessible. Even the building itself joined the theme, providing direct access from the street to the corridors of power.

Clearly when starting from a blank sheet of paper anything is possible and Westminster doesn't have such luxury but for a moment it was thrilling to imagine what might happen if it did.

Places

Edinburgh Castle

The rain was lashing down this morning as we climbed the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle. Nevertheless we joined the other tourists on a guided tour, standing out with our preference for Gore-Tex jackets rather than gaudy plastic ponchos.

The castle complex lends itself well to exploring; there's no tourist treadmill here. The presentation of the Scottish Honours (Crown Jewels) was particularly enjoyable, as was seeing the Stone of Scone rightfully adjacent to them rather than in Westminster where I last saw it as a boy.

It was sobering to be present on the stage where so much history has played out - the room where the first joint Scottish/English king was born, the execution place of dukes, a holding location for prisoners from many conflicts.

The oldest part of the castle - and the last of our visit - is St Margaret's Chapel. In this tiny church one stained glass window stood out appropriately: Saint Columba standing at the bow of a boat, presumably heading towards Iona.

Angels

St Giles' Angels

Two angels from Edinburgh's High Kirk: the marble one holds the font at the entrance to the church while the wooden piping angel is hidden amongst dozens of others in the ornately carved Thistle Chapel.

The Chapel's well worth a visit; around its walls are ranks of angels playing every musical instrument possible while the arms of the seats are decorated with a range of animals which would make any zookeeper jealous.

Walks

Arthur's Seat

Distance: unknown
Ascent: unknown
Duration:

Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags

Edinburgh's volcanic past left two dominant landmarks: the rock upon which the Castle was built and a cluster of hills in the centre of Holyrood Park, the highest of which is known as Arthur's Seat.

Our hotel for the weekend is on the edge of the park at the bottom of the Royal Mile. With a glorious summer evening closing we took the opportunity to climb Arthur's Seat, then walk back along the Radical Road which runs beneath Salisbury Crags.

The 251 metre summit affords a spectacular view of the city and across the firth to Fife. In the distance the Forth Bridges were visible but a low haze limited any further view. Most capital cities require office towers and revolving restaurants to provide such an experience but here in Edinburgh the earth itself provides a viewpoint higher than the tallest building in the UK.

Greenbelt

Abbey at Dusk

We say goodbye to Iona tomorrow morning, filing out of the Abbey Church with coats and rucksacks ready for the nine o'clock ferry. It's been a wonderfully peaceful week but I'm aware every step I take from this point is another closer to home.