Four-thousand of us stood the cold ground awaiting the attack from over ten-thousand English. As a Duncan my fellow Clansman of Clan Donnachie are with me ready for the fight. I am looking anxiously for the Clan of my Mothers family the MacPhersons. I do not see them anywhere. Could Cluny MacPherson, have decided the cause was lost. Could the great Cluny MacPherson acquiesced to English suppression. If you searched the entire island , you would be hard pressed to find a man that hates the English more, so why is he and his Clan are not on the field?
The Battle of Culloden has been documented in many ways and by many parties. For those of you that may know the name, but not sure of the details, the facts are few , but culminate the the end of an independent Scotland. Bonnie Prince Charlie had come from France to lead the Jacobites to free Scotland from the English. This was not the first time this had happend, but may very well be the last. We were soundly defeated at Culloden and the wrath of the English went on for many years. Cluny MacPherson had spent many days recruiting the MacPherson clan the the Highlands of Scotland. One day too many. As history shows us Cluny and the eight-hundred members of the MacPherson Clan showed up one day too late to the battle. Cluny and the eight-hundred fierce fighters of the MacPherson Clan could have well turned the tide and history would be different. My point is those on the battlefield waited for support from other clansman. Was that four-thousand on the Culloden field the only ones that wanted Scottish independence, or were there those that were unwilling to take up arms to defend what they felt was important.
For many years I have seen the attendance of Scottish cultural activities on the decline. Almost all Highland Games, and Scottish related Festivals have seen lower attendance in the last few years. The proliferation of Scottish junk also concerns me. I will save that for” Really cheap Scottish stuff.”
I think these are actually are closely intertwined. So I am here to ask you your opinion on why this is happening. Or do you not see it?
I have a couple of theories on the shrinking attendance at Games and events. I have a couple of theories as to why attendance and membership is shrinking in our Scottish Societies. But I want to hear from you. Because even though I have theories on why these things are happening , I have no idea on how to fix them.
Game attendance started shrinking about five years ago. The reason was evident after a few years. Many of the small cities that were holding these small events had picked weekends that had nothing else going on, and thus offering those even passively interested something to go see. Yuppies love to go to cultural events, to make themselves feel like they are well rounded as humans. So they would venture out to kilts and bagpipes. Over the years many of these cities started having other events that same weekend. In our small city of Salem, Oregon there are many things you can go and do. The Cheese and Wine Festival, the RV show, the Home remodeling show, and so on. Yuppies are getting more self absorbed and less concerned about the cultural well being, they seem to be more concerned about how that big screen home theater will fit in the bathroom of their condo andf they can watch something cultural on the big screen. So our little Scottish Festival saw fewer people year after year. This Scenario is played out in almost every town to one degree or another. The next hit we took was fuel prices. We in the Northwest were used to seeing the same people at four or five events every year. The hardcore Scot immerses himself in his heritage when he can. Fuel prices began to rise and year after year people started visiting fewer events. So now they will pick the one large event in their area. So those events have had fairly stable attendance and the small events see shrinking attendance. Then there is the cities in the middle of nowhere that come up with the idea that they should have their own event so they do not ave to travel. Now on its own that seems like a fine idea. But a twenty person pipe band will not travel four-hundred miles and spend two days to play to fifty people. There are events in Eastern Oregon and Washington that literally have less than a hundred people attend. Hardly worth it for vendors and entertainers. They have to buy gas too. So I see those as the big reasons we lack attendance.
The lack of attendance to our Scottish organizations is shared by almost any organization. Peoples interests change from whim to whim. But your heritage does not. However the amount you care can make a most dramatic change. So I keep asking, why do you care less today than you did two years ago? As I write this I have found that the Sacramento Highland Games is in doubt. Now this is a large event that see thirty thousand spectators every year. How can an event this size go away. Well it takes many volunteers to make an event like this go. It may very well be that they have ran out of volunteers. My email to the Vendor coordinator was returned.
Now you tell me, is our culture dead?
Rewrite The Rules
Now that he’s one of, if not the, richest man in the world, he wants us to revise the very system that made him rich. I am talking about Bill Gates. The reason I am talking about Bill Gates on this blog is three fold. First I am a firm believer in the Scotsman Adam Smith Capitalism. Second reason is the circumstances surrounding the entire story are very similar to another Scotsman Andrew Carnegie, and the third is that you a read this blog on software created by Bill Gates and a computer that by in large Bill Gates has had a serious hand in the development.
Bill Gates has recently come out promoting a kinder capitalism. You may ask, now what is wrong with a kinder anything? On the surface nothing. But that is exactly it, it’s superficial. Capitalism has a proven track record in the United States of bringing the most prosperity to the most people in history. As US citizens you give more to charity than any other population on the face of the planet. It amazes me that once many a man has reached the top , he then wants to change the system that allowed him to attain this high status. Somehow the very system that has given them the circumstances to make their fame or fortune, is flawed somehow and needs to be changed. Companies should give more back to the people is a common mantra. Those companies allow you to have a standard of living we have never seen in the history of mankind, then you have the opportunity to be charitable because of your standard of living. But I can not give a lesson on the benefits of capitalism here. For those of you actually interested in expanding your intellect I strongly recommend reading Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. The other contemporary works are any books by Thomas Sowell, or Walter Williams. You can find much of the later two, for free at http://www.townhall.com/ .
The connection with Andrew Carnegie is similar in many ways. I have not followed Bill Gates social politics until this point and he may until this point been a very social conservative. Which makes this turn in his social conscious even more surprising.
As I read more and more about Andrew Carnegie his social politics strikes me as plainly hypocritical. At the very same time that Carnegie was making a huge amount of money selling railroad track and steel to the War department, he was writing articles for the newspaper condemning the war. He was this way his entire life. Superficially he was a social liberal , and at the same time allowed his companies to treat their workers in the worst ways. At a point where a strike was immanent at one of his mills, he conveniently went to Scotland and left standing orders to stop the strike by any means. The police were called in and many people lost there lives during the strike. There is even evidence that Carnegie himself instigated the workers to strike. Why? Business to Carnegie was a chess game. He played like a master and with ease of a casual stroll through the park. In the first half of his life he had made a fortune and sold most of his holding to another Scotsman J.P. Morgan, Carnegie did truly turn all his efforts to being philanthropic. Nearly a hundred years after his death, the Carnegie Foundation still gives millions of dollars away ever year. If you understand capitalism , you can not operate your business life as a liberal, because the two can not coexist. However it is amazing to me how many people I run into that think of themselves as very compassionate as people but in business they are ruthless. There are many other examples of those that have inherited a family fortune from a staunch capitalist and they are strong social liberals, they can afford to be because they did not make the money. Their compassion however ends when it involves their own money. They may give some of it away, but somehow they remain rich. There also may be one other explanation, the rich at some point become ashamed or embarrassed by their wealth. Let us be honest, many people are jealous of the rich and our current society is constantly wanting to penalize the rich through higher taxes. With many people cheering this confiscation of the wealth as justified. People ask me to be philanthropic from time to time, and I cite that I am on the Andrew Carnegie program. Right now I am still in the fortune building part of the program. Bill Gates is welcome to give away all of his money, as long as he does not preach to me about it at the same time.
Every Day is National Kilt Day
Well today is National Kilt Day. No you did not miss it “it’s today”. Like me , you may be very puzzled, as you are reading this on a day other than the day I published this post.
Let me explain.
It was January 21st and a well meaning friend told me that day was “National Kilt Day” . When asked how he heard about it, he said a kilt wearing friend of his told him that it was National Kilt Day. For one reason or another , and since it was towards the end of the day, I delayed leaping into action.
Several days later I was pondering how I missed National Kilt “Wearing” Day. Where is this written, and where can I find this as well as other Scottish days.
For those of you new to being Scottish or wearing kilts, there is actually a real holiday here in the United States approved by Congress “National Tartan Day” on April 6th of every year. If you are going to pick a day to wear your tartan, April 6th is it. We in Oregon even have a State “Tartan Day” on April 12th. Proclaimed by our Scottish Governor Kulngkowski. Probably a Lowland name.
I sat at my computer and prepared for some serious research , lit a Punch cigar, pored a wee dram of Dalmore Cigar Malt, a smooth single malt and got serious.
On January 25th , Robbie Burns Birthday I was on the internet looking at Scottish stuff and searched National Kilt Day. Well to my surprise there was one internet Scottish site proudly proclaiming that January 25th was National Kilt Day or National Kilt Wearing Day. I forget which, but they would be the same to me.
I am not sure they even mentioned poor Robbie. I had heard that Robert Burns Birthday was supposed to be NKD some time back. It seems I am unusual in that I look into these things, even the things I agree with, to find out if they are legitimate. Once upon a time , I was in the automobile business. I had heard that October was car care month. Two years later I heard that April was car care month. So which is it. The sad truth is there is no governing body to say what is and what is not “ insert special day”. Time for another dram of single mat. So anyone can declare any day they want as there special concern day. Naturally clever businesses and organizations proclaim something like , National Cheese Eaters Day, to only find out that it was proposed and advertised by the National Dairy Association. They get some free press out of the deal and we get another day to mark on the calender. I love cheese, so even I have a special day now. Along with “guys who eat to much day”, “ guys with receding hairline day”, “guys with a beer gut day” , and the select group” guys who want Britney Spears Cloned day”. So as the single malt runs low, my spirits run high. Why not National Kilt Wearing Year, or Decade.
But frankly those of us here at The Kilt & Thistle , and you our customer, do not need an excuse.
WE proclaim everyday of every year ” World Kilt Wearing Day”
One of the areas of this blog that I have not given proper time to is capitalism. Since the birth of capitalism as we know it comes from Scottish author Adam Smith I have always felt is has a direct connection to what we do here. The founding fathers of the United States conferred with Scotsman Adam Smith and specifically his book Wealth of Nations to form our current style of economy. There have been many news stories about how bad the US economy is despite the facts to the contrary. Major news outlets, aka Main Stream Media or Dinosaur Media touted how bad the upcoming Christmas Season is going to be for retailers. They , as usual could not have been more wrong. As the reports of record spending by shoppers come rolling in. There is even an article in a publication for businessmen that should be pro business http://www.bizjournals.com/ . The headline is
Economic woes tighten holiday spending at dollar stores |
The assertion to the article Read Article Here is naturally that because of the bad housing market it is effecting spending at Dollar Stores. I call it an assertion because even in the article the manager of the dollar store in the article says their sales are just fine. They may be a bit lower, but I can make the opposite assertion that the economy is going so well that people do not need to shop at the dollar store. The lesson here is that we are constantly bombarded with bad news by the major news sources, and the facts are they are usually wrong and have absolutely no idea of what they are talking about. Pay no attention to them, enjoy the Christmas Season.
By the way The Kilt & Thistle Scottish Shop increased sales from same time last year by almost 15%. We thank you for your business and will continue to provide quality products at reasonable prices.
This is a reprint from this blog November of 2005. For those of you that wanted to know the true origins of what the press calls Black Friday.
Two men face each other in the early morning long before the sun breaks over the rolling hills of the Highlands. They are about to become combatants in an ancient annual ceremony that has over time been repeated in almost every country of the world. There are many such rituals and events in Scottish history. Ceremonial dinners given in the name Robert Burns , Scotland’s Poet Laureate, are one such tradition that emanated from Scottish Culture.
The ceremony I refer to is known as Black Friday. The origins of which go back to the time of Christ. The people of the Highlands new little else than to barley survive, yet once a year these men that for eleven months of the year were civil neighbors in every way, gave in to that which has plagued man for these many generations. It goes beyond greed , it goes beyond survival. Man has been locked in combat on Black Friday for such a long time, that the very reasons for this age old tradition has long been forgotten. Yet every year on the very same date, men engage in battle to deny the other that which they so instinctively need.
It happens on the Fourth Friday of the eleventh month of very year. In early times they met at Stonehenge with cabers at the ready. Poised like the knights of the future with lance in hand and knowing that only one can come away with the prize.
The prize, the new Xbox video game for kids, and it is the last one on the shelf at the Stonehenge of today Wal-Mart. . The event today takes place on the Friday following Thanksgiving here in the US.
Like many traditions the meanings get muddied with time. Today there are many unaware of the history of Black Friday that think it is the date at which today’s merchants start to make a profit.
Now you know the real meaning and history of Black Friday.
The sun has finally set on the British Empire
As a matter of fact it’s raining with no end in site. My article “Time to take up Arms” about the English killing our Scottish Heritage was met in Scotland by my Scottish contacts with “ well it’s really not as bad as you make it out” . Certainly I can appreciate wanting to put a smiley face on the fact that our Scottish Heritage is and has been slowly killed by the English for two hundred years. The installment of many ministers in Scotland that belong to the Scottish National Party has many in high hopes. But between the entrenched apathy and rush to inaction that plagues the entire island, it will be a small miracle if the SNP can even make a difference, yet solve any real problems.
My use of rain is of course metaphorical as rain in Britain is as predictable as the sun shining and happens almost as often. England seems to be in a tailspin that they can not pull out of. The socialist government has allowed the influx of millions of immigrants that the economy can not absorb. The unemployment rate in Scotland was already high and the hopeful high tech glory days are now gone. At every turn the decisions made by both parliaments are self serving and usually a detriment rather than any help. It is getting to sound more like our government every day.
The latest article in Sky News about a tourism ad is typical in the rapid descent into the abyss.
Titled “Controversy over Eurostars Shock Advert” is an excellent example of the descent. For those of you who do not want to redirect to the article I will try to explain. The article is about an ad done by a Belgium company to promote tourism to Britain. The ad is aimed at European countries like Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands to visit Britain. Right now tourism from the US to Britain is way down due to to the high costs in just being in Britain. I will write about that in a future article. Now back to the ad. The ad shows a man with only jeans. No shirt and a red cross painted on shoulder to shoulder and from the top of his head to the belt line. He is bald with his back to you. Next to him is a small table with a tea cup on it. You see a stream of yellow liquid streaming from his , well below his belt, into the teacup. I wish my son had that kind of aim. All this on a stark white background. Like much of the odd art that now plagues our society, some one actually thought this ad was a good idea, and the “Controversy” is the fact that some are actually defending this worthless ad. Worthless because it is supposed to attract tourists not repulse them. Now I am the first one to admit that that I do not understand the culture Western Europe and with what I hear about them in the news this may actually make them want to travel. Hear in the U.S. the term “ tastes like war p&$s” is a bad thing. But the whole idea, is that some one in British tourism is paying for this. The article does not say who, but an ad agency does not spend their own money, the ad campaign was instigated by Britain. I would like to be optimistic like many I know in Scotland, naturally those on the Titanic were optimistic, you have to be.
The Miracle kilt or, Just my cup of tea !
From the moment I read the story , I knew there was a angle that I could make a connection to our customers with. As a retailer there is always the possibility that you will be shoplifted. We have our compact discs near the front desk and the jewelry under glass. Our smaller items are in eyesight of the main register. I don’t worry about kilts or jackets walking out of the store. Shoplifting happens everyday and raises the prices of goods to you and me. No the shoplifting doesn’t happen in our store it helps that the possibility that we are armed slows them down.. . However there have been a recent news about a famous retailer having more than there share of shoplifting. Victoria Secret has had more than it’s share lately. As they say “ their cup runneth over” . No this will not be my last attempt at a cheap pun in this story. This story has all of the great dramatic elements, intrigue, mystery, and man’s favorite sport. And I’m not talking about fishing.
The story starts almost three months ago in Raleigh, North Carolina.
From the Associated Press
If someone offers you frilly women’s lingerie on the street, call police. Thieves have stolen almost $35,000 worth of underwear, perfume and other merchandise from Victoria’s Secret stores in the Raleigh area since March, police said. Law enforcement officials have no suspects and said it’s unlikely the thieves are stealing for personal use.
A store in the Triangle Town Center in Raleigh reported nearly $20,000 in missing merchandise between March and June, while stores in Durham and Cary reported losses of almost $13,000 and $4,000, respectively.
The thieves seem to work in groups of three, with one person distracting a store clerk while the other two stuff bags with bras, underwear and other items, police said.
Victoria’s Secret is owned by Columbus-based Limited Brands Inc.
Do you realize that the total is over $70,000 in stolen ladies lingerie? I like the part where officials said “ it’s unlikely the thieves are stealing for personal use”. No kidding. Without Anna Nicole Smith around , who else would require this kind of support? There is that one gal named Morgana that runs out during sporting events, but that is more of structural concern, rather than quantity. That woman hardly needs a Miracle Bra.
This has just happened again in Connecticut
Fairfield police say thousands of dollars worth of bras have been stolen from the Victoria’s Secret store in recent weeks. In the latest theft, last week, someone stole 50 bras from the lingerie store. Lt. Michael Walsh says the bras were valued at a total of about $4,000.
Earlier this month Victoria’s Secret reported the theft of seven to eight drawers full of reversible bras.
The lingerie store also reported the theft of 100 bras, from its pink collection, earlier this month valued at $4,000.
Walsh say he doesn’t know if the bra thefts were prompted by a fetish, but says “We have some people who steal strange things.”
As I was writing this story about thousands of stolen bras , my mind naturally focused on the heart of the story. Ladies require two pieces of lingerie. Speaking of strange , and I found the connection.
In Oregon a couple of years ago a guy stole thousands of womens panties. Now were getting somewhere. So now we have both basic articles of ladies undergarments.
Is there a connection? Like the famous D.B. Cooper story, we may never know. But if this can happen to Victoria Secret , who’s next?
It looks like it’s up to us. And it’s time to take the claymore out of the scabbard . Scotland is so caught up in political correctness, the desire to be the European Union lapdog, and the lackey of the English, that your heritage is being sold out on a daily basis. There have always been the lowlanders influenced by the English connection to look at kilts and bagpipes as part of the Highlander and Clan past , that should be left in the past. They are progressives that want Scotland to be known for other things. You see your heritage is a reflection of a barbaric time in history and these progressives think that very heritage is holding Scotland back. The fact is, were it not for kilts and bagpipes, Scotland would be as famous as Belize. Never heard of it? Or maybe you have a local Belize store near you. There are Scottish Shops in every major city in the United States, Australia, and Canada. Even the Celtic Shops and Irish shops that are scattered through the country have a large portion of Scottish goods. Some years ago those progressives rested their hopes in the Silicone Glen, High Tech companies were to move into Scotland and move our heritage into the twenty first century. Every one of those companies have moved back out of Scotland. Going through Scotland like a plague of English taking what they wanted and moving on. The progressives are now banking on tourism and all those lovely museums in Glasgow that most people do not go to. When you vacation in Scotland you want to see Scotland not the inside of an art museum that does not contain Scottish art. Several things have happened in the recent past that you may not be aware of. The Ministry of Defense or MOD as it is known, controls all of the military of the United Kingdom. That means the English control the Highland regiments. For the past few years there was the start to amalgamate, or combining, of several regiments into one. The Black Watch no longer exists. It is now part of the new Super Regiment. All of the history that was the Black Watch is now gone. This has happened to many regiments in Scotland. In this very contentious situation, the MOD decided to add insult to injury and have the new uniform parts , such as kilts and sporrans made outside Scotland. There is now very strict laws on knives and any sword requires a permit and must be owned by an approved organization. At this point the ability to carry a Sgian Dubh is in question. The latest attack on your heritage is about sporrans, the harmless Scottish fanny pack , when it is made from specific list of animal furs. When wearing your fur sporran, you will be required to carry a certificate that it was not made from the wrong animals. All of this seems to be with the blessing of the Scottish Parliament. When in Scotland be careful when making purchases of anything that involves Highland attire. On the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, many of the quaintly small merchants are now actually owned by a firm from Pakistan. These shops and many others are now offering the cheapest junk and claiming that it is the real thing. You can see the article from Brian Wilton , of the Scottish Tartans Authority, about the fraud that is occurring as these unscrupulous merchants are selling polyester kilts made in Pakistan with labels that claim they are “Authentic Highland Kilt” . Naturally these fraud merchants have their defenders, such as Hazel Mollison of The Scotsman.com . Her article is slanted to support the concept that people can not really think they are getting a real kilt for such a cheap price. She just happens to leave out the fact that this merchandise is actually tagged “Authentic Highland Kilt” . There is a very selfish benefit to buying quality Scottish merchandise. When you purchase quality it will last you a lifetime and then some. Remember, it’s your heritage. Only you can preserve your heritage for your children.
In many sports they have what is called the pick. A sports pick, or reasons why you like one team over another. Using various criteria that depends on how you want to judge a team. So here we go with a Scottish Pick for President.
There are a lot of candidates out there for president on both sides. The Republicans have Hunter, Tancredo, Giuliani, Romney, Ron Paul, and McCain and a guy not running, Thompson. The only reason I mention him is that even though he is not officially a candidate he is ahead of all the rest of the Republicans in the latest poll. Go figure.
The Democrats have Clinton, Kucinich, Biden, Edwards, Dodd, Gravel, Obama, and Richardson.
For obvious reasons, I will not be able to cover each and every one of the candidates, there is only so much time in the day. Frankly there are many of them I had to look up. Who are all these people?
However we all know most of the major players.
Let’s take them in random order and without party separation. There are some natural elimination as the whole point is to find out who is the best “Scottish” candidate. My process is a complicated formula. It could include the candidate that most resembles great Scotsmen in history, authors such as Robbie Burns, the Poet Laureate of Scotland, Sir Walter Scott, or Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle. I could use great inventors like James Watt, the inventor of changes to the Steam engine, Alexander Graham Bell, the man who brought us the telephone. Or great humanitarians like Andrew Carnegie, who also fits into the great capitalists’ category. Another great capitalist is J.P. Morgan. Catian Kidd was a famous pirate, now there is a category that we can judge a politician with. I am sure there is a famous Scottish lawyer, or Scottish car salesman that we could use as a guide. Both might serve as excellent parts of a formula to judge politicians by, but I think the best way is to judge who would make the best President of the United States by the two most important qualities any leader can have.
Do they look good in a kilt, and is their tartan/plaid cool looking. I mean we can’t have a president that looks bad in a kilt. What would the other countries think of us, Really!
President John F. Kennedy wore a kilt. And in spite of what most people would think his plaid was Scottish not Irish, and the Scottish Highland Regiment, the Black Watch were the Ceremonial Pallbearers at his funeral. So a “Scottish Pick for President” has some historical significance.
So let’s take a look at the field and see how they measure up. No kilt-making pun intended.
First there is, Giuliani, he sounds Italian. Not sure but let us say he is. Well the Romans had those cool looking little skirts that they wore. Can we picture Guliani in a Roman short skirt? If he was running for mayor of San Francisco, he might get the vote. But nationally, I don’t think his legs have a chance. Giuliani has no plaid or tartan. That rules him right out.
Next is Hillary Clinton. Now if we were talking pants suits, she would have this thing locked up. But I am not sure that even Bill has ever seen her legs. The name Clinton is English, and we know how well that goes over in Scotland. Being English if there is a tartan for Clinton, there shouldn’t be. She is out. Tom Tancredo, can’t even tell you what nationality that is , so he is out of the running. Mitt Romney, another one that sure doesn’t sound Scottish. He’s out.
Ron Paul. There may be something here, Paul is a shared name in the British Isles. He comes up in the Clans of Cameron, MacKay, MacIntosh. This gets him to the elimination round.
Kucinich, makes it way to easy. He’s out.
Up next Duncan Hunter, now there’s a winner. Both his first and second names are Scottish.
John Edwards, well if you have ever seen the movie Braveheart, the bad guys name was Edwards the Longshanks. He should be elected to something, something that we really dislike.
Barack O’bama, clearly this guy must be Irish. Sorry we are using the Scottish system on this pick so he is right out.
Fred Thompson and John McCain, though Thompson he has not announced it is clear he will be running. , Thompson is Scottish, and so is McCain.
So our finalists are Thompson, Paul, McCain, Hunter. So we are down to the few finalists that would look best in a kilt and take the colors of the tartan/plaid into consideration.
The next step will be to show each one of these finalists to a woman that has no political knowledge of these candidates and will judge them solely on how they would look in a kilt. I can think of no woman that has both characteristics better than my wife. Take it from me, she knows what guy is supposed to look like in a kilt. And number two she has no idea who any of these people are.
Duncan Hunter has two tartan plaids. The Duncan plaid of dark blues and greens, the name Hunter has several tartans attached to it.
John McCain was so obvious because his name sounds so Scottish that I allowed him into the finalist list without a proper vetting. Upon a search at The Scottish Tartans Authority, McCain or MacCain has no tartan attached to his name. This is an embarrassment for the judging system. But John McCain is out.
So it is down to Hunter, Paul, and Thompson .
Ron Paul has three Clan affiliations. Cameron and MacIntosh are primarily red tartans, and MacKay is blues, greens and black.
Thompson has nine tartans attached to it. A variety of tartans from red to blues. A search of the Scottish Tartans Authority also finds a curious tartan called D.C. Thompson. The judges are all looking at each other, with murmurs of approval. Is this a sign, an omen? The President of the United States works at our nations capitol in Washington, D.C. Can this really be this easy.
We can not forget the kilt judging. My wife looked at our three finalists’.
Ron Paul was too skinny. She has a firm belief that highlanders are stout men.
Duncan Hunter she considered a good possibility in a kilt.
She looked at Thompson last, a tall stout, and a truly Highland frame. This one she really liked. And with a little research it makes perfectly good sense. Apparently Fred Thompson is a bit of a ladies man. So there you have it, Fred Thompson has the most tartans, a tartan named D.C. Thompson and women find him very attractive.
Ladies and gentlemen I think we have the Scottish Pick for the next President of the United States. Fred Thompson.
There are many ways that people can support their culture and their heritage. We at The Kilt & Thistle support the Scottish and Celtic events here on the west coast by attending or advertising in the events brochure. There are many people at those events that you may attend that work tirelessly as volunteers for no pay. Those events don’t just happen. It takes a full year of planning and many people to help execute even the smallest of events. Pipe bands around the country are all manned by volunteers. Many of these bands require the members to pay dues so that the band can afford kits, jackets, and instruments so that you can enjoy them in a parade absolutely free. There are hundreds of Scottish and Celtic organizations across the United States and North America helping to keep our heritage alive. The members of these organizations volunteer their time at countless events to promote our heritage, Burns Dinners, Tartan Day and St Andrews Dinners among many others.
My post today is about one of the more unique groups that helps support our heritage in their own special way. They call themselves the Bay City Roller Fans, their web site is Whip Me, Beat Me, Make Me Where Tartan. So you can see they have sense of humor. We jokingly called them The Tartan Tramps. This group of ladies are fans of the seventies rock group from Scotland the Bay City Rollers. You may not remember them, but they had several hits and went into music history. The Bay City Rollers continued playing in clubs in Scotland for many years after their fame waned. Today there are Bay City Roller Fans all over the world and the local chapter has hosted Fan Club gatherings.
I have been privileged to know these wonderful gals for the number of years that we have been in business. They have frequented the shop and they have always made a point of showing up at the Portland Highland Games and doing their best to embarrass me. One of my most prized possessions is a photo with a group of them taken at the event. My wife Cheryl was always a good sport about when the BCR girls would show up and I would take a few moments to chat and flirt with the girls. Some were single and some were not. They were a bunch of gals all just out having fun with life. When they got together they would always wear tartan and buttons and pins promoting the Bay City Rollers. They looked like they would fit right in as a servers at TGI Fridays.
One of the sparks that truly ignited this group was named Suzanne Andrews. She was a cheerleader in school and a cheerleader in life. She not only had a smile on her face, but put a smile on everyone she was around, certainly me. Some time back Suzanne was diagnosed with cancer. Like everything else in life she met it head on with courage and that cheerleader spirit. That year the girls were not around as much. Later some good news that Suzanne was doing better, and all breathed a sigh of relief. Three weeks ago some of the girls showed up at our retail store. Suzanne was with them, but I could tell she was not feeling well and she told me that here cancer was back. Melody, they all called her Mel, sent me an email. Suzanne had passed away, a week after they stopped by the shop. Whether you knew Suzanne or not , there is a vacancy in the Scottish Community that will never be filled. There is an old Scottish saying
Wha’s Like Us ?
” Damn Few and They’re A’ Deid ! ”
Appreciate those around you my friend, I will always miss Suzanne’s smile and spark.
It was April and the Aboriginals in a remote part of Northern Australia
asked their new elder if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.
Since he was an elder in a modern community he had never been taught the
old secrets. When he looked at the sky he couldn’t tell what the winter was
going to be like.
Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter
was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the tribe should
collect firewood to be prepared.
But, being a practical leader, after several days he had an idea. He
walked out to the telephone booth on the highway, called the Bureau of
Meteorology he talked to a Scotsman with a heavy brogue and asked, Is the coming winter in this area going to be cold?
The James MacGregor , the meteorologist responded, It looks like this winter is going to be
quite cold.
So the elder went back to his people and told them to collect even more
wood in order to be prepared.
A week later, he called the Bureau of Meteorology again. Does it still
look like it is going to be a very cold winter?
MacGregor again replied, Yes, it’s going to be a very cold
winter.
The elder again went back to his community and ordered them to collect
every scrap of firewood they could find.
Two weeks later the elder called the Bureau again. Are you absolutely
sure that the winter is going to be very cold? he asked.
Absolutely, the MacGregor replied. It’s looking more and more like it is going
to be one of the coldest winters ever.
How can you be so sure? the elder asked.
MacGrgor replied, There are reports that the Aboriginals are
collecting firewood like crazy and that’s always a sure sign.
Just because your buying in Scotland, does not mean you are buying Scottish quality.
Let me explain. This article from the Scottish Tartans Authority explains that just because it is a company in Scotland selling the merchandise, does not make what they are selling, was made in Scotland. The Tartan Herald Article
We all want to believe certain things, and one of those is that how would the land of our forefathers “pull the wool over our eyes”. Sorry could not resist.
But the subject is serious, and reflects on a much greater problem. Just like anywhere else there are people only in it for a buck. And a not so legitimate buck at that. There are many online companies and individuals claiming to be selling Scottish merchandise. I have found several situations on Ebay of out and out fraud. People claiming they are either in Scotland or claiming to be selling “Made in Scotland” merchandise. When you see a kilt on Ebay for $50.00 and it is brand new. Do you actually think it is the same kilt that everyone else sells for $500.00. I hope not. Because it simply would not happen. Yes we all hope for a great deal. But the saying “Buyer Beware” is truer more than ever.
The fact of the matter is that much of what you see on the web these days is made in Pakistan, India, and China. We at the Kilt & Thistle have always believed that our customers are buying their heritage, and expect real Scottish merchandise. Now most of you that our customers of the Kilt & Thistle are smarter than the average consumer. This article is for those that have not made a purchase yet are in the process of investigating, where to buy. Buy taking the time to actually read this article , you are going to make a more educated decision.
We at The Kilt & Thistle have not only been up front with who are suppliers are , but proud to promote them. See our page http://www.kilts.com/kiltandthistle.htm
We buy only quality merchandise, made in Scotland, with one proud exception. Our sporrans are made in Nova Scotia Canada by the best leather craftsmen in the world. So we gladly make the one exception.
We have seen the merchandise made in Pakistan first hand. It is of very poor quality materials and very poor craftsmanship. Now we get approached by these Pakistan manufacturers on a regular basis. And the allure of their very cheap prices can be appealing. But the fact is, do we want to sell cheap junk, and more importantly, “Do you want to buy cheap junk?”
So what is the answer?
It makes sense to deal with a company that you can easily call and or communicate with. When they call are you talking to a voice mail or answering machine. Do they ever answer their phone or just return calls. If there is a problem, are you just talking to a machine?
It makes sense to deal with a company that actually has a real retail location.
One of our customers proudly noted that he had purchased a Argyle jacket on Ebay. He had not received the jacket yet. And for much less than we sell them for. I advised him that he needed to be careful about his purchases on Ebay. I also asked if the seller, who promoted himself as a business, had a retail location? He quickly defended his purchase and said yes they did. Well with a little investigation I found that they not only did not have a retail store, no they never said they did, but they have since gone out of business and or as happens on Ebay , they changed their name. I found out the merchandise they were selling was from Pakistan and the jacket was polyester, not wool. I can sell polyester jackets for less than he paid for his.
Now like you I need to be careful with my money. When I buy a pair of jeans, I look for a cheap price, but most of us have a brand that we buy. Well look for a quality brand and then look for your best deal. When you buy a quality kilt and clothing , it will last your lifetime and then some. We have one customer that has had a kilt in his family for five generations. This happens when you buy quality. We have spent ten years selecting the best suppliers that offer the best value. We have done all the work in finding great clothing suppliers, why not take advantage of our years of experience.
A kilt is a kilt, is a kilt ! or When is a Kilt!
My interest in the question is so that you, our customer look great and feel comfortable and confident when you attend a Highland event dressed in your kilt.
The question these days and the confusion you are feeling is, so many places are trying to tell you what a kilt is, and what kilt isn’t. Taking a look at few other web sites I have noticed those that sell the poly viscose kilts, or many of the other things that some companies are selling as kilts go to great lengths to justify or at least re-define the definition of a kilt. We see it in many places these days and in all kinds of situations that people take a common word that all of us thought we knew the definition of, and all of a sudden the word has a new definition. This helps legitimize their attempt at selling whatever there selling whether it be a product, an idea, or a cause. I will try to stay on subject here, if you have read my Blog ” Plaid to the Bone” then you know I have a very off-kilter view of life. But the idea here is to help you make a educated and well informed decision about your kilt purchase. Here I will stay on the definition of a “Traditional Kilt” , and when we say that, what does it mean. We at The Kilt & Thistle have been in the business for over ten years, many of our customers however are older gentlemen in their fifties, sixties, and seventies. Many of them immigrated from the United Kingdom and have been wearing kilts there entire lives. It is from them, my observations at the many kilted events I attend, retired Highland soldiers and a continuing research I do as I have a fanatic interest in Scottish history.
Whether a kilt is traditional or not is unimportant, what you want is to look like you are supposed to. Some of our customers , before they were customers, have made the mistake of buying the fifty dollar kilt on Ebay. We have seen these kilts, and they do not look good at all. Many of our customers were just plain embarrassed when they wore it to a highland event and it looked out of place.
So the word traditional should be replaced with normal or the standard by which we judge whether a kilt is a kilt or something else.
The kilt made the biggest change in appearance from the great kilt to the little kilt or philibeg as they call it. The great kilt being the garment you see in the movie Braveheart , the big piece of fabric wrapped around the waist and a bit of it thrown over the shoulder.
The short kilt is what is the standard today. Short, meaning less fabric, not necessarily where it falls on the leg. Today the common kilt contains eight yards of fabric. That is the amount for an average guy, and yes that amount does vary with the mans size. Some years ago one of the major kilt makers started making what they called a casual kilt with about four yards of fabric. This was primarily for Highland Athletes and the requirement that they wear a kilt to compete. They were looking for lighter weight for the hot summers that we hold our Highland Games in. Since then most of the major kilt makers, and all of the ones we use are making a version of this. Now the kilt is made with the same weight and quality of 100% wool fabric, just fewer yards. The difference is in the depth of the pleats, the pleats on the casual or four yard kilt is much shallower than on the eight yard kilt. When you look at two men wearing the two different kilts, standing still there is little visual difference. For more of an explanation of these two go to www.kilts.com/my_kilt.htm
So the two kilts we sell are of the same weight Scottish wool made the same way in Scotland, one uses fewer yards. I feel comfortable that we can call them both kilts. If you go to any Scottish event or function, no matter how formal, either kilt will look proper.
So where did the confusion start. There is a very successful comapny called Utilikilt. There web site states they started in April of 2000. It is a terrific product. But the company will be the first one to tell you they are ” a range of non-traditional styles and sizes. ” as they themslves describe their product. It is not a kilt. However if they were to have called it UtiliDress, they would have been far less successful.
The next entrant to the mix was Sportkilt. A cotton garment, dyed to look like plaid and pleated in the back and held on by Velcro. They look like the flannel pajamas of kilts.
The word unbifircated then popped up and the rage was anything that was unbifircated was a kilt. The web site kiltguys.com ( not the the real name ) spends an amazing amount of energy trying to make anything , including ladies skirts, seem like a kilt.
So we have gone from 8 yards of fabric to a Sarong as all being the same as a kilt. This is the very same logic as
A table has four legs, and a dog has four legs, so therfore a dog is a table. You see my point.
Do not make the mistake that just becuase somone calls something a kilt, dosen’t make it a kilt. There are many fine products out there as people make garments out of polyviscose and canvas. They are what they are.
But real kilts are wool, they are pleated in the back, they are held on by straps and buckles, they are worn from the trop of the belly button, to the top of the knee.
The other guys can call there dog a table becuase it has four legs, but it is still a dog.
Since there has been few places you can not hear about Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith, I might as well get on the bandwagon. Plenty of people are making money off both of the tragic lives of these two young women. It will comfort you to know that I in no way will make a single dollar off of either of these women. But I am going to put my two cents in.
Most of what I am about to write about will be understood by most men. Many of you women will not get it or the few of you that understand men, will nod your head in conformation in how shallow we are when it comes to women.
I bring both of these two women up now during their decline in the eyes of the public. And few people actually know of the attractive woman Anna Nicole Smith was that made her Playboy Playmate of the year, twice. I am not a expert on this , but very few women have made the title of Playmate of the Year more than once. So there must be plenty of red blooded males that thought that Anna Nicole was attractive at some time in her life. The woman that we saw on her cable show would make you ask, if it was in fact the same woman..
However at the height of both of their careers there are more than a few men that thought these two women were attractive, alright very attractive. Now make no mistake, as a red blooded male, I am not talking about there personalities, or their IQ. We men are shallow enough to look past things like that and appreciate a woman for her looks alone. And both of these two women were great looking in their fashion. The connection here is Scotland , Dolly the famously cloned sheep.
The cloning of humans is widely debated and I am not here to present an opinion either way. But for you men out there, has there ever been a stronger argument for cloning than these two women? Alright they are both blondes , and for you two guys that are not into blondes, I will add Linda Carter ( Wonder Woman) to the list. Really who can argue with that?
For those of you that are reading my Blog strictly for kilt information, and you are scratching your head and asking “What does this have to do with kilts?”
Absolutely Nothing !
Burns Dinners served up more than just Haggis.
One of those unforeseen side benefits to doing one thing and something else comes of it , has just occurred in the Northeast Region of the United States. I can not take complete credit, or blame, for this one. My call to arms for kilted Scots to save the planet was accomplished last fall when the temperature dropped in the United States.
Now you in the Northeast are experiencing the effects of the “Burns Dinner Freeze”. That’s right I am calling it the Burns Dinner Freeze.
For any of you that are unaware of Robert Burns, Scotland National Bard. In January of every year we Scots have a Dinner to celebrate his life. New York arguably has the most Burns Dinners in the US. For the majority of male attendees at these dinners, a kilt is the mandatory fashion. The number of kilted Scots in the New York area alone must be in the tens of thousands. With formally established science of kilt wearing changing the ambient temperature, it only stands to reason that the current heavy snowfall and low temperatures in the New York area are from the Burns Dinners.
.
My mind is made up. Kilt wearing must be made mandatory to save the planet.
Kilted Scots have Saved the World
Once again, Scots proudly going into batlle have defeated another menace to the known world. Yes we have Global Warming on the ropes and it is getting the cold shoulder. I must tell you , that I am as shocked as anyone that Global warming was so easily set back in this way. When our simple “call to kilt” to stop Global Warming earlier this year was writen up, the Scots in America went out in the hottest time of the year to wear their kilts. All over the US, Canda and many other countries Scots formed in large numbers at what will be called Highland Games or gatherings. A very clever idea, creating a shrewed oppurtunity for Scots around the world to wear their kilts, and placing these events in the Summer. I understand that many of the Kilted Scots that attended these Games did not even realize they were solving the Global Warming problem.
Scots are willing to do almost anything to save the world.
Willing to wear a wool garment at the very hotteset part of the year, that oddly coincides with the Summer Season , and I am looking into the possiblity that the Summer, may once again, be the hottest part of the year, next year. But enough talk about the weather, lets talk Global Warming.
This is just realsed from NOAA National Climate Data Center:
Oct. 16, 2006 — September 2006 was cooler than average for the continental U.S., providing relief from the second-warmest summer on record, according to scientists at the NOAA National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. September was the first cooler-than-average month for the continental U.S. since May 2005. Drought conditions also improved in some areas of the nation, with nationally averaged precipitation above average during September. The global temperature remained well above average. (Click NOAA image for larger view of January-September 2006 statewide temperature rankings. Please credit “NOAA.”)
U.S. Temperature Highlights
The September 2006 temperature for the contiguous United States (based on preliminary data) was 0.7 degrees F (0.4 degrees C) below the 20th century average of 65.4 degrees F (18.6 degrees C). This was the first cooler-than-average month since May 2005, based on the century-scale average. The rarity of below-average national temperatures is reflective of the overall long-term warming trend for the nation.
However this good news is a bit diminished by the news that Scots in other countries were slow to get on the kilted bandwagaon. So we have stopped Global Warming here, but there is much work to do. See below for the bad news.
Global Highlights
It was the fourth warmest September and fifth warmest year-to-date period since records began in 1880 for global land- and ocean-surface temperatures (1.01 degrees F/0.56 degrees C, 092 degrees F/0.51 degrees C above the 20th century mean). September land surface temperatures were second warmest, while ocean surface temperatures were third warmest in the 127-year record. An El Niño episode began in September as ocean temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific continued a recent warming trend.
Http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2006/s2720.htm
There are several ways we can take care of the problem with kilts in other countries. The first thing that comes to mind is have all travelers to other countries wear kilts. Frankly I think the problem is at a point that we need to have everyone , Scot or not wear a kilt. That’s right everybody traveling overseas must wear a kilt. You may ask who is going to pay for this? We need to get creative. I am not an advocate of the government paying for everything, after all it is our money anyway, and you and I will just be paying for it anyway. I think we ned help from those that are out sounding the alarm and helping this noble cause.
Al Gore, for Vice-President, Presidential nominee and inventor of the internet. Al has made a ton of money in the oil business and it’s time for him to give something back. He could also limit his trips in that private jet and fly commercial like the rest of us. Wait , I can’t even afford that.
So lets all get Al to pay for everybodys kilts.
There is so much out there now about Global Warming that like you, I am not sure what to believe. My backround may go back before you do. My first exposure to Global Climate change was back in 1975. April Newsweek artcle the Headlines Read ” The Cooling World” see link to article here if you read the article it will give you reasons to be very worried about the coming ice age, and all the terrible things that will happen. Talked about the rising levels in the Great Lakes and the resulting flooding. There is much more. I also read way too much. I also have an article about how the myth of Greenland, well it really was green. The Vikings farmed the land until it became too cold. So which is it? Is the earth getting warmer or colder. Make up my mind.
Now bare with me. As I said it is hard to know what to belive. My current research shows many people that disagree with the popular notion of Global Warming. Here is a Candian Science group link here and here at http://www.iceagenow.com/ they are back on the ice age thing. Here is a great article out of Canada about the Vikings and Global warming.
I could start to look at this as common sense, and it tells me that if we caused it, then we can fix it. But many I have heard have told us that even if we stop driving all cars and shut down all the factories, we would just slow the process not stop or even reverse it. And that’s what seems to be the constant thread in all of this. I need to feel bad about being a human, and I have done nothing but bad things to the planet. We wanted to rent Chicken Little last night, further attempt at research, but a five year old beat me to the last copy. Sizing her up , I think I could have taken here. But she looked determined, discretion is the better part of valor.
So I have not seen Chicken Little to see what help it could be in my article. I know the story as you might, and it seems strikingly familar to the Global Warming excitement.
But we Scots can save the planet.
Now on to the basis of my title. Many of you know that moving air cools. There in lies the possiblity for the Scots to once again save civilaization . When a kilted man walks , the kilt moves and moves the air around him. This leads me to believe that if we caused Global Warming, we can fix it. I have been working on an extensive set of formulations that involve the mass of air that moves when a kilted man walks. This is variable due to the speed of your step and the size of your kilt. Lets be honest, many of us have bigger kilts than others. Don’t feel bad, it’s genetic and any little kilt helps. I have taken formulas from Nasa, and Kinstrel Weather Instrument Company.
I really had a cool graphic to show you her. But I can not figure out how to insert it. Really , it was very cool.
The US Census says there are 9.2 million people of direct Scottish Ancestry and 40 million of Scotc-Irish heritage. We can certainly allow those of Scotch-Irish Heriatge to wear a kilt. Especially when we are trying to save the planet. With that many kilt wearers we can lower the planet average temperature by enough to save us all and have a little ice for the Scotch.
Now the shameless plug to sell kilts. If we figure that ten percent of the Scotch Irish already have kilts that leaves 36 million that need kilts. So if I happen to outfit them all, well I would be richer than Bill Gates. And I would be a hero for saving the planet. Wow this is really looking good for me. And this makes as much sense as anything else I have heard or read about Global Warming.
BBC to shake up web with more interactivity
The BBC, already the UK’s biggest online brand, on Tuesday signalled its determination to join the fast-growing web world of blogs, open access and online communities. The changes reflect the rapid growth in internet sites dedicated to building up communities and that allow the exchange of information and content. Here is the whole story from Financial Times online
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/e820f1b8-d491-11da-a357-0000779e2340,s01=1.html .
Here are a few links to Scottish media web sites.
BBC Scotland http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/
BBC News Scotland http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/default.stm
You can also access a cool site Scottish Web Cams see Scotland live at http://www.kilts.com/links.htm
Scotland’s Daily Headlines at http://www.kilts.com/scottish_news.htm
Like many holidays, May Day has been co-opted by so many people. Put in May Day Celebration into a Google search and you find more than six different causes claiming that they are the reason we have a May Day Celebration. In the era I have grown up in it has been known mostly as the ” workers day” or communists and anarchist day. Most average Americans have paid little attention. We were busy working, rasing our families, and making this great country even better. . This year we see the illegal immigrants co-opt the day now as a day to “a day without immigrants”.
Another confusion. We all know that it is the immigrants that have made this country great. Those that are protesting have a very different agenda. But lets look at the immigrants that have made a great difference in the greatest country on earth. The Founding Fathers of the United States, many of which were of Scottish Heritage, looked to another Scotsman Adam Smith to create our system of economics. Capitalism has been the engine that has driven the United States to be the wealthiest country on the planet in just two-hundred short years. Capitalists like Andrew Carnegie, born in Scotland, came to the United States and became the richest man on the planet. After selling his holdings to another Scotsman J.P. Morgan, he started giving his money away. After building hundreds of free libraries in Scotland and the United States he founded the Carnegie Foundation that to this day still gives money to charitable organizations. They have given away Billions of dollars. Without him first making all that money , he would not have had it to give away. Those immigrants , like many others, have proven that what we have in the United States is special and that this is truly the land of opportunity. It is the engine of Capitalism that has made it so. So on May Day , work hard, purchase goods from your fellow citizens and prosper.
Like many of you I am going to be at the Memorial Wall Tribute on Memorial Day Weekend in the Portland, Oregon area. See more about this here http://www.kilts.com/memorialwall.htm
Which brings me to " Support our Troops" . Two members of a local pipe band came into the shop the other day. I know both men and have no reason to question there information. Both of them have a long history of being connected to the Scottish Regiments.
They recently traveled to California to see the Black Watch. They had to because the Black Watch did not include the Northwest or Western Canada on the tour. Very possibly the last tour that may ever take place, due to the regiment amalgamation that is taking place.
More about that here http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=483052006
Now I am not going to talk politics. But plain practical application of unintended consequences. When you commit any act, you have action, hence a reaction.
While many people think that a simple first amendment right to dissent on the war may be in itself harmless. However the current atmosphere has a radical fringe attached. Sadly those that innocently protest the war bolster those that have a more sinister agenda.
The reason the Black Watch did not appear in the Northwest or Western Canada was due to threats of violence by protesters of the war. First the irony just kills me. But sad to say over the last several years the British Government and the Black Watch, since they seem to get the most press about being involved in the war, have received enough threats of violence about their tour that they had to cancel. The majority of these threats came from the Northwest. Now the Black Watch can take care of themselves, they have a long history of kicking peoples ass. But in fear that innocent civilians of any audience may be in danger they did not plan any Northwest concert dates.
In another bit of irony I was recently made aware of a young local piper mentioned in an article on a local peace protest. He was playing his pipes in support of the peace protesters. For those of you unaware of a bit of Scottish History. The pipes were deemed an " Instrument of War" by the British Government after the Battle of Culloden. So he in effect was holding up an assault rifle at the protest in show of support of peace. He is very young and probably attends our public school system, so I am sure this bit of irony is lost on him.
I will see you at the Memorial Wall Tribute. For those of you that play the pipes, you can be proud that you represent those that have led men in to battle to free people around the world for hundreds of years. It’s not an instrment of war, it’s an " instrument of freedom" .