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<title>Granite Chips blog</title><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/index.html</link><description>News and views from Aberdeen</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2007 Aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:rights><dc:date>2008-03-22T12:53:10+00:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:36:28 +0100</lastBuildDate><item><title>Let&#x27;s show Aberdeen has a heart</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2008-03-22T12:53:10+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/d6fcf52f1c619525158a39981f57dd41-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/d6fcf52f1c619525158a39981f57dd41-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It matters not whether it is Aberdeen City Council who have brought this financial crisis on, or whether it is a desperately unfair system that means Aberdeen gets &pound;320 less per head than any other local authority in Scotland.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Unfair system squeezing Aberdeen finances?</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2008-03-13T09:46:11+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/cb20cc9434fc8f3dec8910f275780880-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/cb20cc9434fc8f3dec8910f275780880-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It's time for Aberdeen's councillors to prove their mettle and set about finding a way round this ridiculous situation, before we have to close Glencraft, respite day services, special needs schools, centres of excellence and a range of services for our vulnerable citizens. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Aberdeen cuts deep into support for society&#x27;s most vulnerable</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2008-03-07T19:01:48+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/28c5b298d1e3ac4c08dcbeb595cecbb0-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/28c5b298d1e3ac4c08dcbeb595cecbb0-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[If that is true, and I believe it is, then Aberdeen has taken a huge step backwards in its stated ambition to be the leading council in Northern Europe. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Trump saga takes another turn</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2008-02-29T20:48:27+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/9e398ee9ab8e482e22e735db3ddf694a-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/9e398ee9ab8e482e22e735db3ddf694a-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As if the system did not grind slow enough (we should know, we have a seemingly-simple planning application that is coming up for its anniversary, still without a decision) the politicians seem to be determined to mire the whole issue in all sorts of witch hunts.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>EU oversteps its mark again</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2008-01-30T19:58:15+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/9fa3dd53919afbbb3f11283d408f354e-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/9fa3dd53919afbbb3f11283d408f354e-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There is a street right in the heart of the capital where the restaurants on both sides of the street spill out onto the pavements and diners sit outside all year round. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The vitality of the oil industry</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2008-01-26T16:14:31+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/acc91b8866d6e473cbdd40dbd003ec70-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/acc91b8866d6e473cbdd40dbd003ec70-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The UK and Scottish Governments should be singing the praises of our oil and gas industry from the rooftops and fighting to give it all the support it needs to continue to bolster our economy for the next 50 years.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Aberdeen drops off Edinburgh&#x27;s radar</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2008-01-22T19:10:29+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/641c4c404bb9627274c9c399782b7c08-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/641c4c404bb9627274c9c399782b7c08-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA["Enhancing our national infrastructure with National Developments will create a more successful country, increase sustainable economic growth and create opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish," said Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, John Swinney.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Do politicians have a death wish?</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-12-17T23:01:57+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/60a2070435a0dc0a02cad6fcb8bd5996-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/60a2070435a0dc0a02cad6fcb8bd5996-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Across the Irish Sea, First Minister Ian Paisley's grin is getting wider and wider as he sees the potential &pound;1 billion development heading his way, with many more billions of future business following in its wake. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Aberdeenshire Council moves to sort itself out</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-12-12T13:38:50+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/5fa7b63191cd3e4d6b5fb1d6f8b26c2b-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/5fa7b63191cd3e4d6b5fb1d6f8b26c2b-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The removal of Councillor Martin Ford from the chairmanship of the Infrastructure Services Committee and the decision that major projects must be capable of consideration by the full council go some way to sorting out the Trump mess at Aberdeenshire Council. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Credibility of Aberdeenshire Council is on the line</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-12-04T16:05:37+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/21ad2a657f85ed462972a24da5d28418-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/21ad2a657f85ed462972a24da5d28418-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The fallout will not only be loss of billions of pounds of potential business from the development and the huge spin-off potential, the loss of potentially millions of pounds of planning gain and incalculable damage to the reputation of Aberdeen City and Shire as the region "not to do business".
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Trump will not appeal and is looking to Northern Ireland</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-12-03T16:26:13+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/6740b40c55f975604728a1c62eb1b265-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/6740b40c55f975604728a1c62eb1b265-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Donald Trump has confirmed that he will not appeal Aberdeenshire Council's extraordinary decision of just seven councillors to refuse planning permission for the Trump International Golf Links Scotland development. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Councillors&#x27; Trump refusal causes outrage</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-11-29T16:55:20+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/491d79b24cb81f0bcaa99c469eaed81a-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/491d79b24cb81f0bcaa99c469eaed81a-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Why would you turn down the potential of a &pound;1 billion investment to create a prestigious development that would not only draw thousands of visitors to Aberdeen City and Shire, but also focus international attention on the quality of the environment and services here in the North East? 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Herald corrects Kelvin McKenzie&#x27;s BBC outburst </title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-11-04T11:00:18+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/64e542b6eed2ab751dddcd800d0e4c7e-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/64e542b6eed2ab751dddcd800d0e4c7e-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is to be hoped that the BBC take note of these figures and make sure that, in future, they only spend our licence fee on booking people who (while they may be outspoken) at least base their statements on knowledge and understanding of the facts.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>D for Darkness and Danger in and around Aberdeen</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-10-26T10:45:59+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/e44460d0473a1e34580c86fa4a39f47a-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/e44460d0473a1e34580c86fa4a39f47a-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[They say that the extra hour of daylight at the end of each day would give people a chance to be more active outdoors, walking, jogging, or even just working in the garden.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Kelvin MacKenzie promotes Scottish independence</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-10-12T09:16:30+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/560a6cbe70f9cacc188c44d16cac5d08-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/560a6cbe70f9cacc188c44d16cac5d08-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It seems that Kelvin MacKenzie must have been duped by what almost seems like a shameful consipiracy (as Andrew Marr put it in his his "History of Modern Britain") to airbrush the huge significance of the North Sea oil and gas industry out of Britiain's history. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>It&#x27;s whose oil?</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-09-04T10:28:47+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/088368c9c58fee9c023bdaa1a550f6f3-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/088368c9c58fee9c023bdaa1a550f6f3-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the early years of North Sea Oil, the SNP used to say "It's Scotland's oil" and, sure enough, by normal rules of international boundaries it would seem that the bulk of the oil and the gas on the UK continental shelf was, in fact, in waters that would be Scottish if Scotland was indeed independent.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Scottish Executive becomes Scottish Government</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-09-03T19:03:37+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/c74271812ae91c4f733fe8f5a041d359-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/c74271812ae91c4f733fe8f5a041d359-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Signs at the six main Government buildings in Edinburgh and Glasgow have already been changed but other material such as stationery will only be changed gradually to be as cost effective as possible in the transition.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Direct USA flights are good news for Aberdeen</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-09-03T09:57:25+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/92cdea8640676e2c0812fb4fa94f14da-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/92cdea8640676e2c0812fb4fa94f14da-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[According to reports in today's Press and Journal the new direct will be operated by City Star using a 50-seat Boeing 757 with the fare for the ten-hour business-class-only flight to Houston being around &pound;2,500 return. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Road safety expert group to look at reducing Scottish toll</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-09-01T10:39:47+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/e48e8b8f526695616197c3266097c06a-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/e48e8b8f526695616197c3266097c06a-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I also have a concern that the culture of movies and computer games that feature lurid crashes, from which you emerge unscathed (and indeed some games where you are rewarded for crashes) could be carrying a subconscious message that reckless and dangerous driving is laudable and without harm.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Transport hits the headlines in Aberdeen&#x2c; yet again</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-08-31T16:15:26+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/a1cb90616e84e75bc1e0bb609c476da3-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/a1cb90616e84e75bc1e0bb609c476da3-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[	1	The long saga of the third crossing over the River Don and the suggestion by Scottish Executive Reporters (safely tucked away in the central belt and isolated from the reality of Aberdeen's shocking transport infrastructure) that we don't need a third bridge over the Don. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Independence within the United Kingdom?</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-08-14T13:57:37+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/c54f43bec0f28e087a823857ff6e42b4-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/c54f43bec0f28e087a823857ff6e42b4-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Alex Salmond makes the point that amending, or repealing the 1707 Act of Union, would still leave the Union of the Crowns intact and leave us, presumably, as... a nation within the United Kingdom. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Aberdeen special needs&#x27; workshop nominated for top UK food award</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-08-10T13:52:14+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/566c7275258ec0b2098c5380d86c6565-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/566c7275258ec0b2098c5380d86c6565-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The bakery is just one of a number of work opportunities within the community - the others are the excellent cafe at Newton Dee (drop in for a coffee and home bakes or soup and bread it is a real experience!)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Scottish Broadcasting commission is step in right direction</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-08-09T10:05:09+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/709d71676dc5dd6f8a3394c0dba0b086-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/709d71676dc5dd6f8a3394c0dba0b086-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA["I will be speaking to the BBC and other television networks about what we can do to ensure that they are getting the right kind of talent and ideas from Scotland, so they can start investing the right amounts of money in Scottish drama, entertainment and documentaries.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Kingswells roundabout drivers risk endorsement</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-08-03T09:32:15+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/fc393fcc47650ef162b535302ed67acd-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/fc393fcc47650ef162b535302ed67acd-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It's not my favourite place on earth, but I seem to spend a lot of time sitting at the Kingswells roundabout, thanks to the peak-time traffic light phasing that only allows five or six cars through on each green phase from Countesswells. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Putting Energy Institute in Glasgow is utterly illogical</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-07-16T17:41:39+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/67479787fa67c0d0e6504e669ac3757d-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/67479787fa67c0d0e6504e669ac3757d-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Aberdeen is one of the world's leading energy cities - surely the only logical home for the UK energy institute?
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Delay for the Aberdeen by-pass is a disappointment</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-06-29T10:38:25+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/ac32dbf9d934801524e8d8a8af7d5647-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/ac32dbf9d934801524e8d8a8af7d5647-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The new Scottish Executive have made it clear that they are working flat out to deliver the road, but they claim that there was no slack built into the programme set by their predecessors. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Credit where it is due? North Sea oil &#x27;airbrushed out of history&#x27;</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-06-29T10:33:42+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/ab5db34e92f20ab8915718a9b5e552a1-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/ab5db34e92f20ab8915718a9b5e552a1-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[And it is not just today, but as Andrew Marr pointed out in his excellent history of modern Britain programme on BBC TV, the North Sea oil and gas story seems to have been airbrushed out of past history.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Controversy about Scottish Prime Ministers</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-06-27T10:40:47+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/75277d74ae305ff4672cab2daffb22db-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/75277d74ae305ff4672cab2daffb22db-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As far as I am concerned, if English MPs are so insecure that they don't want Scots in charge of departments that run affairs in England and Wales and if they don't want Scots to vote on matters that don't affect Scotland, the remedy is in their own hands. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Remember summer 2007</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-06-26T10:44:04+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/088706c70d5675352ff72bf567b59ff9-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/088706c70d5675352ff72bf567b59ff9-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In coastal areas of California for example they have "June gloom" caused by the "marine layer" coming in from the Pacific and I can recall sitting in Carmel shivering, while hearing that, back home, Aberdeen was enjoying temperatures of 25C+!
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Time to express your opinion on Trump International Golf Links</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-06-26T10:42:14+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/60ae886a9f349dfb3c5234b8ba42b044-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/60ae886a9f349dfb3c5234b8ba42b044-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It would be something to really put Aberdeen City and Shire on the world tourism map, drawing visitors (who normally bypass this area in their haste to get from Edinburgh to Loch Ness) into our part of the world. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>What ever happened to the Scottish strawberry?</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-06-10T10:45:19+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/ea43870a13bedc09202668a8e8b50f2a-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/ea43870a13bedc09202668a8e8b50f2a-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For that reason the fruit growers of Tayside have been persuaded to plant new varieties of strawberry that have the vital attribute not of taste, but an ability to survive being dropped on the supermarket floor!
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Don&#x27;t lose the Trump opportunity over SNH</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-05-31T10:46:05+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/78352747ed24ac56db84f90b8e9e1773-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/78352747ed24ac56db84f90b8e9e1773-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The First World Headquarters proposal is a case in point and any organisation less determined to stay in Aberdeen would have been off down the road to London or Leeds in a flash, given the drawn-out decision making process.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Don&#x27;t let us have a North/South battle</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-05-30T10:47:31+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/ef9c36914828188edb12a8f43cab2143-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/ef9c36914828188edb12a8f43cab2143-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I simply cannot see it being of huge national significance that I could get a train from Aberdeen to Edinburgh Airport when I can hopefully fly most places I want to go out of Aberdeen! ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Teenage Deputy Provost for Aberdeen stirs comment</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-05-17T10:49:36+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/a4321698593938815fd0becb82efdb5b-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/a4321698593938815fd0becb82efdb5b-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[These appointments certainly breathe new life into a council which, like so many around Scotland, has tended to be dominated by older people who have reached a position in life where they are able to give take time away from their employment to serve on the council. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The people have spoken&#x2c; don&#x27;t defy their will</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-05-15T10:51:11+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/62775b93305c20254a186dc736de7215-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/62775b93305c20254a186dc736de7215-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The SNP has made it crystal clear that they do not see their election as a mandate for independence, but a mandate to hold a referendum for independence. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Politicians need to focus on sustaining&#x2c; not milking&#x2c; the oil and gas industry</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-05-13T10:52:13+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/c6bb5ed04138440e09664303dfd1f8d6-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/c6bb5ed04138440e09664303dfd1f8d6-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[But the fact that this industry has helped to sustain UK plc for four decades and now needs a little support back, seems to be lost on our political leaders in Westminster (for it is there, for the moment at least, that our tax regime is decided). 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>E&#x26;M closure is sad news for Aberdeen</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-04-25T11:43:20+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/6e2c4bf18f339c80b0c0d3e0a615159f-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/6e2c4bf18f339c80b0c0d3e0a615159f-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[E&Ms has been a local institution for more than a century and was Aberdeen's last remaining department store with real local roots - albeit that it had been bought out of local ownership by Owen & Owen, only for that company to crash into administration.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Summer in April </title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-04-14T11:45:42+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/f38dd27a9e437a00f971cda1157e3b19-15.html#unique-entry-id-15</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/f38dd27a9e437a00f971cda1157e3b19-15.html#unique-entry-id-15</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Aberdeen City & Shire was the hot spot of the UK and one of the hottest spots in Europe today with temperatures in the city topping 20C and going even higher in some places.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Think local when filling your car</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-04-11T11:44:54+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/9b193d075f39bf4cd6a0904a3c9c8e10-14.html#unique-entry-id-14</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/9b193d075f39bf4cd6a0904a3c9c8e10-14.html#unique-entry-id-14</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The only remaining non-supermarket filling stations I can think about in the central part of Aberdeen are BP on North Esplanade West and the Ruthrieston Filling Station on Holburn Street - and it has a 'For Sale' sign on it, so it probably won't be long until it becomes more houses.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Haudagain needs a flyover</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-03-27T11:46:45+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/86d9c93f1e3fd6d0f64a802e3d156520-16.html#unique-entry-id-16</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/86d9c93f1e3fd6d0f64a802e3d156520-16.html#unique-entry-id-16</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In response to the Evening Express transport survey in which 55% of all respondents identified the Haudagain roundabout (junction of the A90 south, A90 north and A96) as the worst traffic blackspot in Aberdeen and the call by 75% of respondents for a flyover or underpass, the paper reports Transport Minister Tavish Scott as saying that the option is being considered.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Trevipark automated parking step in right direction</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-03-26T11:47:44+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/05afba7f00006dac691e8add86822324-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/05afba7f00006dac691e8add86822324-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[If Aberdeen really does get one of the first Treviparks in Britain, it will highlight the city as being an innovative, forward-thinking city that seeks out radical solutions to the need to conserve the cityscape while allowing people to use the transport means of their choice to travel into the city to support its economy.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A96 upgrade overdue</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-03-15T11:48:35+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/903e20f69381531be611353be3abc934-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/903e20f69381531be611353be3abc934-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As someone who will usually take roads like the Lecht over to Tomintoul rather than brave the dreaded A96, it was good to hear the First Minister Jack McConnell say that he believed the A96 should "probably" be the next priority for upgrading. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Toll taxes - a reprieve</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-03-12T11:49:13+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/a0019ee44bbca2123342cfcb4eef1d38-19.html#unique-entry-id-19</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/a0019ee44bbca2123342cfcb4eef1d38-19.html#unique-entry-id-19</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[&bull; Public transport is not always greener (studies in Germany and UK have shown public transport producing more pollution per head and a Lancaster University study showed that - even with all seats taken - an intercity train from London to Edinburgh produced more pollution than if the passengers all drove in reasonably economical cars!)
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Road work blues</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2007-02-14T11:50:01+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/cab6aa58c1a7d8acb42d70d06a96d505-20.html#unique-entry-id-20</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/cab6aa58c1a7d8acb42d70d06a96d505-20.html#unique-entry-id-20</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Pedestrianise Union Street by all means, but make sure that it is possible for us to get there by our chosen means of transport, quickly and conveniently... and ensure there is convenient car parking at the end of our journey.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Chancellor avoids hammering road users&#x2c; for now&#x21;</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2006-12-18T11:53:16+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/ce39d513fb4f14e4486ee75598f8cda9-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/ce39d513fb4f14e4486ee75598f8cda9-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[If the civil liberty concerns of tracking every vehicle's movements could be addressed, road charging might be acceptable if it didn't mean an increase in taxes (in other words if fuel and road tax were scrapped). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Airport set for take off&#x21;</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2006-12-16T11:50:50+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/85e83b4edd9971071279eebfa76e2c62-21.html#unique-entry-id-21</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/85e83b4edd9971071279eebfa76e2c62-21.html#unique-entry-id-21</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[If Donald Trump's plans for the "best golf course in the world" just north of Aberdeen come true, the full potential for the local economy will be more easily realised if patrons can fly directly into Aberdeen, without having to change planes in London, Paris, or Amsterdam. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>North east road death toll</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2006-12-15T11:52:25+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/1182ed997cc3b038448316db4778fabd-23.html#unique-entry-id-23</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/1182ed997cc3b038448316db4778fabd-23.html#unique-entry-id-23</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the absence of proper roads round Aberdeen (roll on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route - 20 years late is better than not at all) we were travelling on a minor route from the Westhill area across to Blackburn. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Transport to the fore</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2006-12-15T11:51:41+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/5a514038be408a4410a6fe138e646478-22.html#unique-entry-id-22</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/5a514038be408a4410a6fe138e646478-22.html#unique-entry-id-22</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The focus in the last few weeks has been very much on transport, with the Eddington Review, the National Transport Strategy in Scotland, the announcement of the draft orders for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and now the launch of Nestrans Regional Transport Strategy for North East Scotland.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The new road tax coming to your car...</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2006-12-14T11:54:26+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/005c76468194f0cb574acd190d076fec-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/005c76468194f0cb574acd190d076fec-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Arrive at Amsterdam Airport direct from the dark ages of Aberdeen and you find yourself at an airport with a built-in railway station, where reasonably priced trains will whisk you into the Centraal Station in no time. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Trump&#x27;s &#x24;1 billion Aberdeen golf plan</title><dc:creator>webmaster@aberdeen-info.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Granite Chips</category><dc:date>2006-11-27T11:55:31+00:00</dc:date><link>http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/73d7a74b69662da75f101ddda898b7d1-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.aberdeen-info.co.uk/weblog/files/73d7a74b69662da75f101ddda898b7d1-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[While it's true that Trump should not get preferential treatment simply because "money talks", let's just hope that the plans do not get caught in the sort of mire and small-mindedness that sometimes seems to categorise our planning system. 
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