Recycling Rates.

Another pat on the back for Fife on the environmental front with the Kingdom achieving a recycling rate of 41.3% in the latest figures from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), well ahead of the Scottish average of 32.9% and by Carnegie's reckoning the fourth highest rate in Scotland.

Well done Fife.

Windy.

And as well as new developments in coal, Fife could also make further contributions to the development of renewable energy.

"HUNDREDS OF offshore turbines could be installed at three wind farms off the coast of Fife, Dundee and Angus. The sites are among 10 identified in Scottish waters for which a number of companies and consortia are to develop plans. The three sites combined—known as Inch Cape, Bell Rock and Neart na Gaoithe—could have close to 400 turbines capable of generating almost 2000 megawatts of power. A fourth east coast site has been identified further south, off East Lothian, capable of providing a further 415 megawatts. The Crown Estate announced yesterday that it had offered exclusivity agreements to nine companies and consortia for the 10 sites which have a potential combined output of six gigawatts of power, a figure equal to Scotland’s peak electricity consumption."

It all seems to be happening in Fife in energy terms. As long as it doesn't spoil the view of course.

Old King Coal.

It would appear that history is repeating itself in Fife with the Kingdom about to benefit economically from tapping into seams of coal under the Forth and off the coast of Fife.

"THORNTON New Energy was yesterday awarded the UK's first underground coal "gasification" licence by the Coal Authority. Under the scheme, coal buried beneath Fife will be burned and the resulting gases harnessed for use in power stations, industrial heating or for making hydrogen or "ultra clean" diesel. Thornton New Energy – part of BCG Energy – will use directional drilling techniques from the offshore industry to access the unmined coal buried under Fife and the Firth of Forth. Thornton New Energy said the gas could be processed to remove carbon dioxide."

Another example of how no matter how things change they still remain the same in some respects.

Free.

But will it be built in China? That's what Fifers would like to know. Carnegie reckons he has saved at least a couple of hundred pounds over the last year by not paying tolls. That's a lot of noodles.

"WITH THE first anniversary of the abolition of tolls on the Forth Road Bridge just days away, Scottish transport minister Stewart Stevenson has pledged the new crossing at Queensferry will be toll free. Mr Stevenson said the SNP government’s decision to ditch the unpopular levy had ended more than 40 years of “injustice” and had been welcomed by people across the country."

Lights Out.

Carnegie thinks it is a nice touch, but it begs the obvious point. If we want to reduce carbon emissions caused by misusing energy, why not do it permanently?

"THE Forth Bridge is one of dozens of world landmarks that will plunge into darkness for an hour next month. The iconic structure will join many other famous locations on the planet in switching off their lights to mark WWF's Earth Hour."

Personally speaking Carnegie likes to see the Bridge "lit up" when he comes home to Fife.

Fame.

Carnegie sees that his birthplace is one of the Homecoming images being used on the Scottish Government website.

Fame at last.

Road Works Off.

Carnegie reads that the major roadworks which were planned for the Forth Road Bridge next year could be postponed until 2016, after the new Forth Bridge is constructed.

"A MAJOR maintenance contract on the Forth Road Bridge is to be postponed until the new crossing is open – even though experts have confirmed crucial joints have reached the end of their life. Replacing main expansion joints on the bridge, scheduled for next year, was expected to mean disruption for up to ten weeks, including possible contraflows and a temporary ban on lorries. The tender for the work came in at £13.7 million – some £5m more than expected. But nearly £6m of cost was for "mini-bridges" to lift traffic over the joints while the work is carried out. Now a review by bridge engineers and outside consultants has concluded the replacement work can safely be delayed until the new bridge opens in 2016, so long as failsafe devices are installed and the joints monitored."

A bit of good news about roadworks on the Forth Bridge for a change.

Healthy.

Good to see that NHS Fife is getting a bigger increase in its budget than last year.

"NHS FIFE will receive record funding of £508.7 million next year, health secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced yesterday. The majority of that is revenue funding worth £490.3 million for the day-to-day running of health services in the region and is £10.6 million (3.81%) more than last year. Also included is £18.4 million for capital projects such as buildings, IT and equipment."

In Carnegie's experience though, the challenge, as always in big organisations is making sure that the money is spent wisely and that Fifers get as much bang for our buck as possible.

In Memoriam.

It is a sensitive issue, but it is also one that Fife Council doesn't seem to be handling very well at the moment.

"A FIFE couple have threatened to exhume the bodies of their two young sons, rather than let the local council “desecrate” their graves. Zander and Patricia Donaldson say Fife Council have told them to remove memorials to their children from Bowhill Cemetery or they will be disposed of. The Methil couple’s baby son Lewis died in 1998, after he was born prematurely, then in 2006, 11-year-old Kieran died in a tragic accident at home. The couple are so upset by the council’s order they would rather the bodies were dug up and buried in their own garden than see the items destroyed."

Cemetries are public places which have to respect the rights of all of those using them, but Carnegie isn't sure that Fife Council are getting it right. Perhaps they should have some of their senior officials put their heads together and come up with a solution which doesn't cause so much needless pain to the bereaved?

It Goes On.

So there doesn't appear to be any end in sight for the radioactive problems on Dalgety Bay beach, with more tests on the way.

"MORE RADIATION monitoring is required at Dalgety Bay beach and clearer warnings signs are to be set up, the Ministry of Defence revealed yesterday. Details of a programme of identification and removal using a membrane fixed to areas of the foreshore will be submitted to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency by the end of the month. The work, to be carried out by Defence Estates, will establish if particles are being washed in from the sea, coming from eroding cliffs or are in sediment on the beach."

Here's hoping the tests help arrive at a solution.

Ferry Bad News.

£730 seems a bit steep to take a car to Europe. Do the ferry company want to make money from the service, or are the public subsidies so significant that they don't have to worry about actually keeping passengers happy and wanting to use the service? Has anyone actually said how much the public is paying to subsidise the service?

"MANY passengers on mainland Scotland's sole European ferry link face higher fares after its new operator rebuffed calls from the Scottish Government to ease booking restrictions, The Scotsman has learned. Passengers who take their cars on the Rosyth-Zeebrugge route will have to pay for a four-berth cabin, even if there are only one or two people travelling, while seats will be available only for foot passengers.This means one person travelling with a car will pay up to £730 for a peak-rate return – the same as a group of four."

Fingers Crossed.

Here's hoping he pulls through.

"THE LOLLIPOP man who sustained serious head injuries in an accident in Dalgety Bay on Friday was “critical” in hospital at the weekend, police said. The 55-year-old, who has not been named, was guarding a crossing on Regents Way in the town at about 9am when he was involved in a collision with a car. He had just escorted a group of children on their way to Dalgety Bay Primary School across the busy road when the accident happened."

Carry Out?

It would appear the new Forth Road Bridge could be wht world's biggest ever Chinese takeaway. But surely it would make more sense to have it constructed in the UK, and better even, in Scotland?

"THE SCOTTISH government faces calls to clarify whether it intends to build the £2 billion new Forth Road Bridge in China after a report leaked to the Sunday Herald indicated that this was the preferred option. The unpublished report by consultant Jacobs Arup, drawn up in response to options previously laid out by project manager Transport Scotland, only mentions China as a place being considered for manufacturing the main "decking" surface of the bridge. Given that Transport Scotland previously listed China as one of three possible destinations for the work along with Continental Europe and the UK, it will raise questions as to whether the country was subsequently narrowed down to be the main priority."

Spiderman.

Carnegie thought that climbing the Bridge cables in the first place was a bit crazy, but does it really make sense to lock someone with an apparent drink problem up for seven months? Surely they could have been forced to do something more socially productive to make them realise the error of their ways?

The reality anyway is that they will be lucky to serve a couple of months given that sentencing policy these days is nonsensical.

"A DRUNK who climbed one of the main cables on the Forth Road Bridge, forcing the police to close the crossing for two hours, has been jailed for seven months. Ross Wilson told bridge staff he had a drink problem as he climbed on to the cable and said there was nothing anyone could do for him. The men from the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) tried to talk him down, but soon lost sight of him in the darkness. Wilson made it all the way to the top of the north-west tower before climbing back down to sit on the safety railing with his legs dangling over the edge about 150 feet above the river."

Pole-Axed.

"A DUNFERMLINE dance instructor is being inundated with requests from West Fife women after starting a seemingly risqué new fitness class – pole dancing."

Carnegie never realised that Fife was such a cosmopolitan place. Dancing around the may pole was the nearest Carnegie ever got to this sort of thing in his youth.

Mystery?

Carnegie thinks it is all very strange. But presumably there must be some other way of verifying the outcome of the by-election? Then again perhaps not if the record of who actually voted is missing.

"THE ONLY official record of who voted in a Westminster by-election that rocked the political world has mysteriously gone missing placing a question mark over the result. In a surprise result in November last year, Labour won the Glenrothes by-election with a 6737 majority over the SNP. All the major parties, including Labour on election night itself, had predicted that the nationalists would narrowly win the seat, which borders Prime Minister Gordon’s Brown’s constituency."

That's Fife. Or is it?

Busted.

Great news that the cops have managed to take so much illegal drugs off the Fife market, but it gives you an insight into the drugs underworld which is operating in the Kingdom.

"Fife Police are closing in on £3 million of drugs seized in the last 12 months after two raids in the west of the region. An estimated £60,000 of Class A drugs, including more than half a kilogram of heroin and a quantity of cocaine, was discovered at a house in Inverkeithing last week. In Cowdenbeath, a cannabis plantation thought to be worth around £11,000 was discovered."

Bad News.

It looks as though the economic recession has hit home again in Fife. Carnegie was hoping a way would be found to save the jobs of the remaining Cemtron workers, but that obviously hasn't been possible given the current climate. Here's hoping they can get new jobs, even in the current recession.

"DALGETY BAY electronics firm Cemtron yesterday announced the company is set for closure and will make 47 workers redundant with immediate effect. The remaining 33 staff will be kept on to complete current orders until the end of February. Tenon Recovery have kept the company trading since it went into administration in early October, shedding 41 jobs as a result of trading losses, cash flow and funding difficulties."

Man From Carbuncle?

"THE DECISION to award Glenrothes with the title of Scotland’s most dismal town has been met with anger by local politicians. Tricia Marwick MSP and Lindsay Roy MP have criticised the organisers of the Carbuncle Awards, who yesterday presented the award to the town after calling its shopping precinct “ugly and depressing.”

Carngeie doesn't think it is that bad. He has seen worse. Even in Fife.

Pulling Strings.

Getting Kofi Annan to turn up in Fife clearly has nothing to do with the fact he was invited by the Prime Minister of course who coincidentally happens to be the Chancellor of Adam Smith College.

"PRIME MINISTER Gordon Brown has welcomed the news that former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan is scheduled to give a talk in his constituency later this year. It was confirmed yesterday that Mr Annan is expected to deliver this year’s Adam Smith Lecture in Kirkcaldy after a request by Mr Brown to do so. The lecture, which is held at Adam Smith College’s St Brycedale campus in Kirkcaldy, is designed to commemorate the life and work of Kirkcaldy’s most famous son and the world’s first economist, Adam Smith."

Well done Gordon.

Joke.

Carnegie doesn't have any sympathy with abuse of animals and even has qualms about visiting the zoo, but even he can draw the line at fish that are caught for food.

"AN ANIMAL rights organisation has jumped on the success of a Fife chip shop to promote its message. People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA) has urged the Anstruther Fish Bar, which was named the best fish and chip shop in the UK last week, to change its name to Anstruther Sea Kitten Bar. The ‘tongue-in-cheek’ publicity stunt follows the launch of their organisation’s Save The Sea Kittens campaign to encourage people to show compassion for fish and other marine life by referring to them as sea kittens."

PETA should focus on fighting some of the more serious forms of cruelty to animals and leave the fish alone.