News Summary - Scotland

           Simply stated, Scotland is in the process of seeking independence from the rest of the United Kingdom.  The primary downfall is “contemporary Scotland is neither so successful that it can clearly afford to go it alone, nor so impoverished that it has much to rail against.”  Salmond promises full-time child care to get more women into work, a bigger employment-tax break for small businesses and cuts to corporation tax.  Salmond goes on to say that “an independent nation would struggle not because output is low but because public spending is so high.”

Article - http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21590899-pitch-independent-scotland-has-fundamental-problem-salmond-sets-out-his-stall

            By breaking off with the rest of the UK, Scotland may not continue to have a steady relationship with Britain.  Britain is the main consumer of renewable energy for Scotland, and if this bond is broken they may not receive the capital that they have been receiving in previous years.  In other words, the demand for renewable energy would decrease, which would cause the price and quantity to decrease as well.

            The corruption of the banks put Scotland in a bad financial position.  Alex Salmond is doing everything in his power to push for Scotland independence.  The rest of the Scottish citizens do not agree with Salmond’s decision.  Once the Scots run out of oil, they do not have any good to fall back on that will put them in an economically sound position.

Transportation - Scotland

Leith has acted as the Port of Edinburgh and remains one of Scotland's larger ports. The modern harbor is located in South Leith and is the largest enclosed deep-water port in Scotland.  Additionally, the Port of Glasgow is another one of Scotland’s ports except that this is a part of Clydeport.  Clydeport’s division runs the key ports of Glasgow, Greenock, Ardrossan and Hunterston, and also includes services in Rosyth. 

The West Highland Line is the railroad of Scotland, which passes by the lochs and crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct.  Tickets can be bought at the train stations, from major travel agents, or over the phone and online with a credit or debit card.  By booking your tickets in advance, one can receive cheaper travel.  However, Scotland has an extensive road network covering the country, providing fast and efficient travel between cities and major towns and easy access to more rural areas.  The motorway network is chiefly concentrated in the central belt with major links further north to Aberdeen and south to England. Trunk roads, also called A roads, connect the rest of the country.  Trunk roads are similar to the interstate highway (I-94, I-696, etc.) that are implemented in the United States road network.

Scotland has four main airports including Glasgow, Glasgow Prestwick, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.  It also has several regional airports around the country in cities such as Dundee, Inverness, Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland.  The best way to find the cheapest fares for flying around Scotland is to search on sites including SkyScanner, Travel Supermark and Cheapflights.

International - Scotland

           Scotland’s leading export industries include five sectors that account for almost two-thirds of total Scotland’s exports.  These are food and beverages, chemicals, business services, electronics, textiles, oil and gas.  Scotland’s top exports markets include USA, Netherlands, France, and Germany.  The total value of international exports from Scotland in 2012 is 26 billion Euros, of which 15.4 billion was from the manufacturing sector and 8.7 billion was from the services sector.  However, the main imports from Scotland to the USA include polyester, cows, paper, and cars.   The total value of imports to Scotland was 14.8 billion Euros, the only positive import growth rate of the four United Kingdom countries. 

            Scotland is one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom, together with England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.  It has its own parliament, legal and education systems, and even has its own currency.  The official currency in Scotland is the British pound sterling, consisting of 100 pence.  1 US dollar is equal to 0.6 British pound sterling.  However, when comparing the US dollar to the Euro, 1 dollar is equal to 0.72 Euros.  This goes to show an individual how weak the dollar currency actually is in today’s day and age.

            Historically, Scotland has been a country where more people are leaving to live elsewhere than moving to live in Scotland. However, since the 1960s, emigration has greatly reduced and, in some years during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Scotland experienced more immigration. Scotland has now entered a period of immigration. The highest rates of migration from outside Scotland were in the areas of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Stirling. The highest rates of migration outside of Scotland were in East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and North Ayrshire.   

            Scotland has the same allies and enemies with that of the rest of the United Kingdom.  Scotland’s allies include Canada, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Poland, Japan, and the US.  There aren’t any countries that are enemies, but countries that are considered neutral include Spain and France.

A Fez of the Heart - Seal

            The main concept that I found interesting was that the fez hats were illegal for citizens of Turkey and were “acceptable” for the tourists.  I don’t understand how fezzes can be acceptable one day by society, and the next day they are forbidden.  Moreover, the topic about topless beaches also had a similar effect.  Initially it was seen as terrible by society, and now it is acceptable by society. 

It seemed as though the town of Pomegranate made a complete three hundred sixty degree turn with its economics and customs or ways of life.  The life of a Turk changed dramatically during and after the death of Mustafa.  The narrator was able to remember the large amount of fezzes that were in the family attic.  Now, the narrator describes how they are “forbidden” in the Turkish culture.  This change had a direct effect on the market for merchants as well.  As the fezzes were looked down upon by Turkish culture, the demand for fezzes decreased.  The fezzes were cheap to begin with, and the sellers received even less money when the fezzes were not part of Turkish norms.

Beyond the specific example of this town in Turkey, there are conflicts between tourism and culture.  Simply stated, tourists are allowed to do things whereas the Turks are not.  This even goes back to the fez example and how it is forbidden for Turks to wear it but acceptable to tourists.  However, I also see connections between tourism and economics.  As a whole, tourism positively contributes to the overall market because individuals bring in money from other countries to spend in these countries.  As a result, this provides money flow in the country, Turkey in this case, and even keeps the merchants in business.

Tourism - Scotland

Scotland is a well-known tourism destination with tourist spending averaging around 4 billion Euros per year.  Since tourism is a big attraction in Scotland, it is responsible for creating 200,000 jobs mainly in the service sector.  It is also shocking to see that citizens of the United Kingdom also spend the most money while they are in Scotland, as opposed to other foreigners.  “In 2002, UK visitors made 18.5 million visits to Scotland, staying 64.5 million nights and spending 3.7 billion Euros.  In contrast, overseas residents made 1.58 million visits to Scotland, staying 15 million nights and spending 806 million Euros.”  The overseas visitors comprise mostly of individuals from the United States, which accounts for 24% of the population that visits Scotland.  Other countries include Germany (9%), France (8%), Canada (7%), Australia (6%), and a variety of other countries making up the rest of the visits to Scotland.

Scotland is composed of thousands of historic sites and attractions, which include prehistoric stone circles, standing stones, burial chambers, and Bronze Age remains.  There are also several historic castles, houses, battlegrounds, ruins, and museums.  However, the Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland’s largest tourist attractions and the ruins of Melrose Abbey on the Scottish border are also nearly equally popular.  Other attractions include Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Glasgow, Stirling, and Aberdeen.  In fact, the United States news channel “CNN” has named Scotland as the number one destination for tourists to visit in 2013.

            At the Cairngorms National Park, visitors can find castles, historic sites, breweries and can even participate in adventure sports including mountain biking and white water rafting.  This national park is UK’s largest national park located in northeast Scotland, and established in 2003.  There are several unique species of nearly extinct animals including ospreys, red squirrels, and the Scottish wildcat.  Further to the south near Glasgow is Scotland’s other national park called Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.  Loch Lomond is the largest inland area of freshwater in Britain and this location is a popular destination for windsurfing in Scotland.  The loch also offers sailing, canoeing, waterskiing, and tours around the loch via boat.