Saltire

Sigh

I was going to give a detailed reply but decided against it. I have decades of professional experience in the energy sector across technologies and sectors and it's great that we are seeing such engagement in the debate across the globe. Sadly, It is clear to me from reading your reply that you don't understand the scale of what is required nor the technologies involved, all of which is my day job. Please take the time to do a bit more research (build up to the second law of thermodynamics).

Your post is rather unfortunate in tone. Basic thermal science explains that 1.5 oC is a huge concern. Basically, the earth isn't able to reject enough of the radiant heat absorbed from the sun (and other sources) due to the change in the composition of the earth's atmosphere (such as CO2, CH4, SF6 and water vapour). Landmass and water are collecting this heat and the earth needs to be able to radiate some of this heat back to the sky (it is easy to radiate heat to a black or dark surface, like finding frost on your car in the morning where heat radiates to the dark night sky). The earth's atmosphere is acting as an insulating layer, reducing the amount of heat rejected. This leads to gradual expansion of seawater, melting of ice caps and glaciers adding to the mass of water in the oceans and leading to rising seawater levels. This also changes the thermal gradients around the globe which changes atmospheric pressures and therefore wind patterns. This in turn increases the amount of seawater and fresh water evaporation leading to more rainfall but not necessarily in the parts of the world where it is needed due to those changing wind patterns. Fission nuclear power is a complex issue. I can't recall a nuclear project in many decades (if ever) that was delivered anywhere close to time and budget. The nuclear fuel cycle is also complex. Extraction, transport, processing, generation and waste handling (a billions of years legacy problem) are expensive and high risk. In the current world, these establishments are targets for terrorists and hostile powers and proliferation greatly increases these risks as there are then more targets. Nuclear fission is a hugely expensive technology, much more than renewables or conventional thermal generation technologies. It does not create a significant direct greenhouse gas problem but transportation and processing do. Nuclear fusion technology, may offer some hope, but is still struggling to yield much more than the energy input. If successful, it has fewer waste issue than fusion as the by products have much, much lower radiation half-lives than post fission isotopes (a hundred years compared to billions). We'll see how this develops. Our energy problem is growing as the world's population and therefore consumption grow. We need to reduce consumption whilst finding affordable energy solutions which are sustainable (environmentally, socially and economically). We may need to accept lower overall efficiencies if we want to move to a significant hydrogen economy, but if we can convert direct solar, wind and tidal generation to hydrogen, the primary fuel is free it's what we do next that counts. Other storage media are of course available which the industry is actively expanding (battery and pumped storage hydro being the primary technologies, but there are others) Carbon Capture and storage is still worth exploring and would allow us to maintain larger generation sets feeding the grid and reducing voltage control issues and reducing the power electronics costs where we have large numbers of smaller generators. All of us can play a part by consuming responsibly and voting pragmatically. We need a responsible transition and people pressure can work. If we don't buy it, companies can't afford to make it and governments can't tax it.

Not since Kevin Cuthbert I don't think. Don't you mean David Purrrdie?

You might want to add the criteria that would apply in assessing to overall impact as part of any decision. Since energy (unfortunately) is a reserved matter it is a moot point. I've noticed a few posts from you recently around the energy question, do you work in our sector?

I agree, it's very concerning that he sees that as the best starting tactics. Perhaps he doesn't see where the goals come from and believes focusing on not losing goals is our best option. The evidence though seems to suggest he's very wrong as we lose more goals when we play a defensive formation, probably because we have very little out ball, when everyone's sitting so deep and have to face wave after wave of attack.

There won't be many if them, it's mainly the lapsed and occasionals who'll be back,.

No it's not, we removed our track in 1924. Honestly!

I think both sets had to pay their own way.

I did.

Independence is about taking decisions for Scotland in Scotland based on how the people who live here vote. That will include cooperation with other countries where it make sense and divergence where it doesn't. In what form of democracy can a neighbouring country deny the legitimate moral wishes of another, be that a for referendum, safe drug consumption facilities or defending children's rights? Sadly, until we have independence, we face the prospect of a Westminster government, populated by Harry Enfield caricatures of politicians, imposing hard-right social and economic policies that 70% plus of us haven't voted for. Achieving independence is about convincing the "middle ground" that it's in our best interests. I simply don't believe that the creation of Alba makes that job any easier. I also doubt that it will make much progress in elections. We shall see.

Duffy has inherited this squad which Hopkin assembled with a particular style of play in mind, which we can all see was a complete failure. There were limited players available today, but for me we're better trying to play attacking football with the risk that we lose rather than revert to Hopkin's style and almost certainly lose. We may still have lost today (the injuries reduced our quality) but it would probably have felt better.

I have read the rules here Microsoft Word - Challenge Cup Regulations revised for 2021_22 v1.7 (spfl.co.uk) The rules can be read to show that both Rangers B and Celtic B are in breach of the rules as their players must be "League Registered with the Club of the relevant Colt Team.". By entering the Lowland League, both appear to be in breach of the competition rules. In effect it can be argued that Rangers B fielded 17 ineligible players.

Are your posts going to extra time and punctuation?

So, do we get a bank holiday in Scotland tomorrow?

Yes but I'm only seeing the AR team with a song being played over it. Ok now.

I agree. He's not as technically gifted as others but he was excellent tonight.

We qualified for the finals. We have two game to play.We were competitive today. Not everyone had their best game but every one of them worked their backsides off. This Scottish cringe pish on here is utterly pathetic.

I agree, we need an upgrade at rightback, otherwise I think we're reasonable. We lost 2-0 but with the rub of the green it could have been a 2-0 victory.

The playing fields and school are in Saltcoats not Ardrossan. If Kilbride Thistle want to move up beyond the amateur ranks then fair enough. But it makes sense to do it in West Kilbride, not the Three Towns where there is already an established club in each town.

Where is the expulsion threat piece? I only read about trying to be placed in the LL.

I support Brechin on this. It's legitimate for them to request being placed in a more geographically convenient league in a pyramid system. It is not legitimate to parachute B teams from two perversely oversized clubs in at the top of the feeder system even if they can't be promoted. The outcome of the LL votes say a lot more about the committees of those clubs than anything else. Well done Brechin for trying to do what's best for them as a club.

I'm really disappointed for Lawrence Shankland. I think he chose poorly going to Dundee United. Had he gone south , I believe he'd have progresed more. Both Neilson and Mellon have squandered a genuine talent. I hope he gets a move soon where he'd be better deployed and get back into future squads.

True to form Daft Willie, who was recently pictured next to a giant deckchair, has celebrated the Lib Dems dismal election perfomance outside Holyrood pictured with Liam MacAthur and Beatrice Wishart next to a giant ars*h*le.

To be fair to the police, they were there to maintain public order and made the call that the two local residents should be released from the custody of the Home Office and to go back into the care of their community. My reading is that they took the lead from a Scottish perspective and not the idiotic Home Office. Another reason why independence is so important.