Some Other Scotland – Ep26 – Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games

This Week:

This week’s news story:

Commonwealth Games evict grandmother

changed to the alternative:

Commonwealth Games eviction properties still standing

Questions have been asked of Glasgow City Council as to why some buildings emptied for the construction of the Commonwealth Games athletes village have yet to be demolished. Local people who campaigned against the eviction of tenants in the area have complained that certain houses and larger buildings have been sitting empty for at least a fortnight after the date they were due to have been demolished. The council refused to comment, other than to confirm that it is investigating the complaints.

Further Information

BBC News – Read the original story.

Conclave

Podioracket-Presents-Glimpses

The Podioracket team have started to release their second anthology series and the first story is a new SOS spin-off called “Conclave”.

Scotland, 2000 BC – Three men and a polar bear meet in a cave to change the world, but can they overcome their personal agendas and preconceptions of each other for the greater good? One petty squabble triggers a chain of events that will build over the following four thousand years, culminating in the story that takes place within “Some Other Scotland”.

Watch for more episodes coming up! New stories from Arlene Radasky, Darusha Wehm, Gloria Oliver, Casey Townsend, Keith Hughes, Dave Donelson, Emerian Rich, Katharina Maimer, and more!

This particular podcast series features short stories set in the worlds of each author included, so is a great way to sample a cross-section of writers from podiobooks.com.

Like all the SOS spin-offs, this is another stand-alone story that you don’t have to listen to in order to follow the story, but ‘Conclave’ does supply some more background to the first meeting of the two clans and the Sidhe, so if you have never listened to a SOS short story, this would be a great place to start.

‘Ghost’ Spin-Off

The Castle Wall
Two new SOS spin-off stories have been completed recently. ‘The Castle Wall’ appears at Every Photo Tells…. It tells the story behind Harald‘s discovery in Episode 13 ‘Ghost’. As with all the spin-offs, it is a stand-alone story, but does give a little more insight into the characters. It is unusual in that it was co-written with Katharina Maimer, telling the story from two different perspectives.

The other spin-off is called ‘Conclave’ and will be released soon as part of a new podiobooks.com anthology. More details will follow, but it is effectively part 2 of ‘The Cave’ and could act as a prologue to the whole story.

Some Other Scotland – Ep25 – Forth Bridge

Forth Bridge

This Week:

This week’s news story:

Forth Bridge vandals stop trains

changed to the alternative:

Forth Bridge disaster claims twenty lives

A large section of the Forth Bridge was destroyed and a train carrying at least twenty passengers fell into the river in a tragedy that is being compared to the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879. Investigators are still looking into the cause of the collapse, though the driver of the train has been quoted as saying that the rails just split apart in front of him. A small number of local fishermen and residents of North Queensferry also reported seeing something flying up the side of the bridge shortly before the damage occurred, but nobody has any evidence of what the unidentified object might have been. The bridge was completed in 1890 and is one of Scotland’s most recognisable landmarks.

Further Information

BBC News – Read the original story.

Promo for View from Valhalla.

Some Other Scotland – Ep24 – Water Supply

Water Supply

This Week:

This week’s news story:

Strange-tasting water is still safe

changed to the alternative:

Tap water ban announced

People in certain areas of Dundee and the Carse of Gowrie have been advised to stop drinking their tap water for a period of at least a week, following an investigation into an unusual taste that was reported coming from the Clatto Water Treatment Works. A spokeswoman from the plant has confirmed that they have evidence of raw sewerage having being dumped into the reservoir at Linthrathen Loch, though they have assured residents that it was a small amount and steps have been taken to disinfect all affected supplies.

Further Information

BBC News – Read the original story.

New Spin-offs

EPT February 2011The second short spin-off from SOS to be featured on the Every Photo Tells… podcast is now available.

This one, ‘Waxing On’, is set in 1745 during Charles’ march towards London. It is a light-hearted view of the prince from the perspective of two local tradespeople.

The previous spin-off was called ‘Near Missing’ and provides some background to Calum Hayston‘s character. It is set over a number of years, but ties in directly with episode 20.

Some Other Scotland – Ep23 – Swine Flu

Swine Flu

This Week:

This week’s news story:

Swine flu postpones Singing Kettle visit

changed to the alternative:

Kettle affected by quarantine

The West Coast town of Dunoon has been officially quarantined this week, as one of two hotspots for swine flu in Scotland. The local hospital has already been supplied with a large quantity of flu medications and local politicians are stressing that people should not panic. The quarantine prevents people entering or leaving the town for the next week, initially. The Singing Kettle show at the Queen’s Hall has been postponed and all schools in the area closed. The situation will be reviewed at the end of the week and the quarantine extended if necessary.

Further Information

BBC News – Read the original story.

Promo for Wiener Blut.

Some Other Scotland – Ep22 – Forest

Forest

This Week:

  • Harald takes drastic steps to collect his prize.
  • Craig starts a fire.
  • Razer gets a history lesson.

This week’s news story:

Villagers agree to buy forest

changed to the alternative:

Villages buy forests

A number of community groups across Scotland are in the process of bidding for local woodland areas to be owned by villages as part of the Forestry Commission’s National Forest Land Scheme. Residents of Closeburn in Dumfries and Galloway were amongst the first to take advantage of the scheme, with several other villages in the Borders and across central Scotland starting the process of community ownership.

Further Information

BBC News – Read the original story.

Some Other Scotland – Ep21 – Bees

This Week:

  • Charles finds music and a lift.
  • Razer picks a side.
  • Erica and Tania find a clue to Sengar’s whereabouts.

This week’s news story:

Human race could perish without bees

changed to the alternative:

Bee disappearances a growing threat to Human Race

A debate in the Scottish Parliament has raised concerns about the rapidly declining bee population in the UK and beyond. A number of reasons, including the increase in the population of the Varroa mite ongoing use of pesticides in farming and even the prevalence of mobile phone masts, have been attributed to the fall in numbers, but scientists have yet to identify a means of reversing the trend. Agricultural experts have highlighted the impact on crops that is already being seen, due to the lack of cross-pollination by bees.

Further Information

BBC News – Read the original story.

Some Other Scotland – Ep20 – Baby Records

Baby Records

This Week:

  • Calum researches the list of unmarked graves.
  • Sykes follows the new lead.
  • Calum discovers unexpected links in his list.

This week’s news story:

Investigation into stolen baby records

changed to the alternative:

Decades of baby records stolen

A hospital in Aberdeenshire has confirmed that birth records dating back over twenty years have been stolen. The files contained details of parents’ home addresses as well as details about each birth, blood types and dates of admission. NHS Grampian have instigated a full investigation of how the records were taken and have issued a statement of apology to all affected patients.

Further Information

BBC News – Read the original story.