Loch Ness monster is “spiritual” say Buddhists

Updated on the 25 April 2014 

14:28

Published 25/04/2014 14:07

The Loch Ness Monster could be confirmed as a “spiritual entity” when a new Buddhist centre opens in the Highlands, it was revealed today.

Britain’s first Buddhist Lama, who is heading up the new project, said Nessie is a “naga” - a water deity which brings prosperity in the religion.

Spiritual director of the project, Lama Gelongmo Zangmo, aims to create a new spiritual centre overlooking the Loch in the Drumnadrochit area this autumn.

Formerly a nun, Lama Zangmo was the first woman in Britain to be chosen as a Lama in Britain in 2001.

Lama Zangmo said yesterday: “Nessie is a naga. We build the relationship with the naga, try to please them and don’t abuse the environment.

Continued

Was this wave caused by the Loch Ness monster?

David Elder, 50, said a “solid black object” gliding beneath the surface caused the unusual ripple when the lake was otherwise still.

Mr Elder, from East Kilbride, said he was focus on a swan at Fort Augustus on the south-west end of the Scottish Highlands lake when he spotted the "creature", according to The Mirror.

Mr Elder said: “Out of the corner of my right eye I caught site of a black area of water about 15ft long which developed into a kind of bow wave.

"I'm convinced this was caused by a solid black object under the water. The water was very still at the time and there were no ripples coming off the wave and no other activity on the water.

"Water was definitely going over something sold and making the wave. It looks like the sort of wave perhaps created by a windsurfing board but there was nobody on the Loch at the time, no boats, nothing.

Continued

Loch Ness Monster mystery could be explained by a fault line under the lake

The legend of the Loch Ness Monster has persevered for more than 200 years. But could tales of a prehistoric sea creature located in a deep Scottish body of water be explained by science?

That’s the source of a new theory, which speculates that the Loch Ness Monster may actually be a fault line lying underneath the Scottish lake.

Even after 200 years of technological advances since the first reported spotting in 1806, rumors of the Loch Ness Monster continue to persist. In fact, technology has played a role in spawning some Nessie theories.

For example, in 2011, local boat skipper Marcus Atkinson produced a sonar image of what he described as a large object following his boat for several minutes at a depth of 75 feet.

And in 2012, George Edwards shared a photo of an unexplained image in Loch Ness. Skeptics have said the image was likely of a log floating atop the water.

Continued

Loch Ness monster sparks Highlands tourism row

By ALISTAIR MUNRO 

Published on 15/06/2013 02:40

A MONSTER war of words has erupted over how the world-famous Nessie is promoted. The Loch Ness Monster is one of the Highlands’ biggest assets, but the way the legendary monster is portrayed to tourists is threatening to split the business community on the shores she reputedly roams.

There has been resignations from Drumnadrochit Chamber of Commerce following comments made by one member, George Edwards, of Loch Ness Cruises.

In a letter sent to 70-plus members of the chamber, he criticises those who, he claims, dispel Nessie as a “myth”.

In particular, he said the narrative of staff given to tourists at the Loch Ness Centre in the village, which overlooks the famous stretch of water, for being negative about the monster.

He also accuses veteran researcher Adrian Shine of taking too much of a scientific approach to the legend, which he claims turns tourists off.

Mr Shine, meanwhile, accuses Mr Edwards, who he said operates his business from a rival business in the village called Nessieland, as being a “liar and a fraud”.

The row has led to resignations from the Chamber of Commerce, including Debbie MacGregor of the Loch Ness Centre, and Tony Harmsworth, its former chairman, who has quit as editor of the chamber’s website.

Mr Edwards said: “Just about every time that Mr Shine appears in the media he talks about big fish and big waves.

Continued

AD 1658: The Floating Island of Loch Ness

Sunday, 9 June 2013

AD 1658: The Floating Island of Loch Ness

Take a look at some ancient maps of Scotland and you may notice a strange phrase inscribed beside Loch Lomond which goes something like this: 

“Loch Lomond famous for its floating island its fish without fins and being frequently tempestuous in a calm.”

Thus did cartographer Hermann Moll annotate his 1712 map of the Scottish county of Dunbartonshire (below). Cryptozoologists have speculated on whether these phrases refer to a strange creature residing in Loch Lomond or have a more mundane explanation.

read on

Expert doubts Nessie 'crocodile' link

By Donna MacAllister

The discovery of a new super-predator species could shine new light on the origins of the Loch Ness Monster, it has been claimed.

Tyrannoneustes lythrodectikos — which means blood-biting tyrant swimmer — were marine predators similar to dolphins, with serrated teeth and a large gaping jaw suited to feeding on large-bodied prey.

Its ancient bones were found in a clay pit near Peterborough in the early 1900s and a specimen is held by the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University.

Scientists at Edinburgh University suggested earlier this week the species was distantly related to the modern-day crocodile after studying its prehistoric skeleton.

Now Loch Ness businessman Willie Cameron believes the reptile may have been the same creature that local people had been reporting from the loch edge over the years.

He said: "I’m not saying that it was there one week ago, two weeks ago, or even 100 years ago. I’m just saying previous sightings could have been something like this."

Mr Cameron, who runs Loch Ness Marketing, added the idea of a crocodile-type creature would fit in with some sightings of the monster without a dorsal fin — countering the suggestion that Nessie is an Atlantic sturgeon, a fish which can grow up to 12ft long.

It could also reflect one of the thousands of unexplained sightings adding to the Nessie mystery. In February 1932 it was reported that Miss K MacDonald saw a "crocodile-like" creature making its way up the River Ness, which was in spate, towards the loch. The creature had a short neck, long snout and some reports suggested tusks.

Adrian Shine

But suggestions of a link to Nessie have been discounted as "just not tenable" by one of the world’s leading authorities on dinosaurs, Angela Milner.

Ms Milner, who is a retired research associate with the Natural History Museum, said there was "no way" that a crocodile could survive in the chilly waters of Loch Ness.

"There are quite a number of fossils already known from these clay pits and they are 170 million years old but at that time those things were living in shallow fairly warm water, semi-tropical seas," she said. "Crocodiles do not like our climate. We’re talking about things that have been perhaps seen in Loch Ness — no way could a crocodile survive in it."

Loch Ness’s own authority on the subject, Adrian Shine from the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition at Drumnadrochit, said: "Of course, it does not fit the popular stereotype of the iconic long-necked plesiosaur that turned people on, but we could enter a whole new debate as to what extent plesiosaurs were able to raise their long-necks swan-like above the water."

http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/News/Expert-doubts-Nessie-crocodile-link-01022013.htm

Loch Ness: Tiny Monsters In 'Lost World'

Scientists exploring a "lost world" near Loch Ness have discovered a host of tiny creatures never before recorded in the UK.

Biological surveys at conservation charity Trees for Life's Dundreggan Estate in Glenmoriston found eight new species, bringing the total number of species recorded at the site where forest restoration is taking place to more than 2,800.

The new species discovered at the 10,000-acre estate in Inverness-shire are a sawfly, an aphid, two types of aphid parasites, three fungus gnats and a type of mite.

Surveys in 2012 also discovered a rare Lapland marsh-orchid, which had never been found in that area of Scotland before.

It brings the total of species recorded at Dundreggan to 2,815, including 269 plants, 341 lichens, 92 birds, 20 mammals, 354 beetles, 207 moths and 125 sawflies.

Species found at the estate include black grouse, pine martens and water voles and juniper stands, while research is on-going to establish whether the Scottish wildcat is present.

Trees for Life's executive director Alan Watson Featherstone said: "The surprisingly rich variety of life at Dundreggan highlights the vital importance of conservation work, and of protecting and enhancing habitats across the Highlands.

"The discoveries are not only demonstrating that the estate is a special site for biological diversity - they are also revealing that there is still much to learn about Scotland's biodiversity."

Continued:  http://uk.news.yahoo.com/loch-ness-tiny-monsters-lost-world-041026120.html

Family and friends say farewell to king of the poachers - via Andreas Trottman

A PROLIFIC poacher has been laid to rest – with a wreath shaped like a salmon and bullets in his grave. 

Archie “Nooky” Clark’s son Colin dropped the Magnum .22 ammo into his plot so his dad – known as the Highland Robin Hood – could “go hunting in Heaven”.

The 52-year-old had made a last request that he be transported from the Church of Scotland in his home village of Fort Augustus to the local cemetery on the banks of Loch Ness without a hearse.

Instead, he wanted his coffin, carved with a stag’s head, ratchet-strapped into the back of Colin’s black pick-up truck.

A real pair of antlers from the last stag Nooky shot and a floral tribute in the shape of a salmon also ­decorated the coffin.

Colin said: “He was norun-of-the-mill dad. We gave him a grand send-off and he must have been looking down withhappy satisfaction.

“I threw a handful of Magnum .22 bullets into the grave on top of the coffin so my dad can keep up his hunting in the hereafter.

“After the burial, we all went back to the local legion club in Fort Augustus for a drink or 10. For some, the wake lasted three or four days.”

Nooky, who worked as a plant driver in his main job, passed away on May 1 after a long battle with liver cancer. He had planned many elements of his funeral.

He had been a poacher all his life but was so well-loved that the congregation at the funeral included police officers and landowners.

One pal said: “For Nooky, it was the thrill of poaching and the skill required to hook or net a salmon or shoot a stag in the hours of ­darkness on a laird’s estate which gave him a buzz. Money was not the motivation.

“He may have sold the odd salmon or piece of venison at the back door of a hotel but he gave away most of it, particularly to old folk in winter.”

The music at the church was played by Nooky’s brother-in-law, acclaimed band leader and musician Fergie MacDonald.

Fergie said: “We played The Dark Island and Loch Maree Islands, which is a deerstalker’s and gamekeeper’s favourite, all about going to the high hills with a rifle.

“I stalked with Archie for almost 40 years and he was an expert – powerful and fit. He could carry an 18st stag on his back for a mile.”

Nooky’s unconventional life was also illustrated by the fact he and his second wife Morna, 40, lived next door to his first wife Dawn.

Colin added: “He was carried out of the church to his favourite tune, Kenny Rogers’s The ­Gambler.

“Although he had many narrow escapes with police and game-keepers over the years, my dad was never convicted of poaching. He was that good at it and his dad as well.”

The service was the first Scottish funeral for the church’s new German minister, 29-year-old Rev Tabea Baader, who arrived in March.

She said: “I asked what was the background to his nickname but nobody was prepared to tell me.

“But I gather he was a bit of a lady’s man in his younger days.”

Morna added: “It used to be nerve-wracking for me at night waiting for Archie to come home safely from one of his escapades.

“He will be very sadly missed.” 

From Sunday Mail 20th May 2012 

Was it Nessie?

FINLEY POINT — After a prolonged absence of Flathead Nessie sightings, the lake’s elusive monster may be out there after all. That’s what Pam Moriarty, her daughter Laura Barthrop and Justin Lagemann are wondering after the trio viewed a strange object swimming against the current about 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 12.

From the picture windows in Pam cliff top home on the northwest end of Finley Point, they watched for about five minutes as it swam northeasterly away from shore toward the main part of the lake. They were so surprised that Pam briefly forgot her camera was nearby. She rushed to retrieve it and managed to snap a picture, but it was too far away to identify.

Lagemann estimated the object was about 40 or 50 yards off shore when they first noticed it. They watched through binoculars and afterward he sketched how it appeared to him. He thought the critter was at least 25 feet long. The head was not showing as it moved away, but it had a “whale-like tail” and “spiked dorsal fins.”

Lagemann had lived in Florida and had seen many types of unusual aquatic animals – manta rays, alligators, crocodiles and more. He couldn’t tell what this was though.

http://leaderadvertiser.com/news/article_7d94388a-a101-11e1-ab2e-0019bb2963f4.html

Ross-shire artists' monster project takes shape!

An artistic collaboration forged in Ross-shire hits the bookshelves this weekend — 12 years after it was first devised.

Rosemarkie writer Elizabeth Sutherland and Conon Bridge artist and storyteller Lizzie McDougall launch their book – Columba And The Monstrous Wurrrm – on Sunday.

The two worked together in 1998 on the back of the Brahan Seer Festival on a project called Celtic Trails. A bus trip to important Highland locations in local tales combined stories and sketching sessions.

The stories feature many local places including Rosemarkie, Eathie Glen near Cromarty, Kintail, Loch Ness and Stratherrick.

Lizzie laughed: “We had been talking about doing our book for a long time, but last year we decided we would definitely make a start.”

Elizabeth gave me some of the stories she had chosen and I began to work on ideas for the drawings.”

The cover is based on Lizzie’s dramatic painting of Nessie, Saint Columba and two sailing companions.

Read on:  http://www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk/News/Ross-shire-artists-monster-project-takes-shape-01052012.htm

Loch Ness Monster sculpture mysteriously appears in Chippewa River

It's an enchanting mystery and point of conversation for the local arts community, but the law sees a sculpture of a friendly monster to be an obstruction in the Chippewa River.

Appearing in the past couple of weeks, the sculpture is in the shape of the Loch Ness Monster, a creature nicknamed Nessie that is reputed to live in a deep Scottish lake.

The sculpted Eau Claire version pokes above the river just north of the Madison Street bridge in Eau Claire.

"It's happening more and more, guerilla installations like this," said Jason Lanka, a UW-Eau Claire assistant art professor. "It's a crossover from a graffiti tradition."

While spontaneous public art displays are more common in metropolitan areas with bigger art communities, Lanka said they are an easy way for artists anywhere to spur conversation about their work.

However, the state Department of Natural Resources views the sculpture as an illegal obstruction in the river.

Continued: http://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front_page/article_d64424ba-9411-11e1-9d68-001a4bcf887a.html

Historic Highland castle set to feature on new first class stamps

One of the Highlands’ most famous castles is to feature on a first-class stamp as the Royal Mail completes its alphabetical odyssey around the UK.

Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness is one of the A-Z of stamps featured as part of an alphabetical tour of UK.

In its day, Urquhart Castle was one of the largest strongholds of mediaeval Scotland and has been the location for many sightings of the Loch Ness Monster.

For the full story, pick up a copy of today’s Press and Journal or read our digital edition now

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2719145

Monster fury over Nessie hoax claim

AN author has been branded a "green eyed monster" after describing the Nessie story as "the archetypal hoax of the 20th century" in a Canadian newspaper.

Writer Josh Bazell has created waves among Nessie lovers after penning articles in a Canadian paper saying the monster legend was made up as a scam to lure tourists to the area in the 1930s.

But outraged Gary Campbell, president of the Loch Ness Monster Fan Club, hit back at Bazell's monstrous claims, saying it is only because he is jealous that a Nessie rival in Canada does not share the same celebrity status.

In Canada's National Post, Bazell insisted the Nessie hoaxer was Alex Campbell, water bailiff for Loch Ness, and his motive was to save jobs following the stock market crash of 1929. He said the crash led to a fall in Loch Ness tourist numbers, to the point where it was announced the railway to Fort Augustus would be discontinued.

On August 27, 1930, an Inverness paper reported three unidentified anglers had spotted a fish so big it could be seen from 600 feet away. In the next issue, three anonymous letter writers also claimed to have seen the creature.

Bazell stated: "The author of the report and the three letters (all similarly worded) was Campbell."

In 1933, another anonymous newspaper article reported how a businessman and his wife witnessed a creature whose body resembled a "whale." Bazell said the writer was also Campbell.

Bazell added: "I would argue, however, that while Campbell does appear to have never sought to get rich off the monster, it would still be more than fair to call him a hoaxer."

But Nessie fan Gary Campbell dismissed Bazell's claims as "absolute nonsense".

He said: "We are totally outraged by this, and it is down to jealously that the Canadian monster, Ogopogo, is not nearly as well known as Nessie. He said it was a hoax to save jobs.

"However, there was no Loch Ness tourism industry back then so there were no jobs to save at that time."

Meanwhile, Loch Ness Marketing director Willie Cameron, said Alex Campbell had done a "bloody good job."

He said: "There's many a global corporation that could do with someone like Alex Campbell. We have one million visitors every year and have a phenomenon that is bigger than any global corporation, rivalling Coca Cola and Madonna."

http://www.highland-news.co.uk/News/Monster-fury-over-Nessie-hoax-claim-7663370.htm

Analysis of the Peter MacNab Photograph

Today I look at the next photograph in the series on classic Nessie pictures. Previously I had examined the Hugh Gray picture and hopefully shed some new light on it. The research on that classic continues but today it is the Peter MacNab photograph that has my attention and we are not ashamed to say this is another genuine picture of the Loch Ness Monster. It could be argued that after the Surgeon's Photograph, this is the second most iconic picture of the Loch Ness Monster. With its classic humps creating a wake as they move towards Urquhart Castle, it sums up the mystery of Loch Ness more than any other picture.


Continued:  http://lochnessmystery.blogspot.com/2012/02/analysis-of-peter-macnab-photograph.html

Nessie 'sighting' wins £1000 prize

A SONAR image of a large mystery object deep below the surface of Loch Ness has netted boat skipper Marcus Atkinson the Best Nessie Sighting of The Year Award — the first time in several years it has been presented by bookmaker William Hill.

The photograph, claimed by at least one seasoned Nessie spotter to the conclusive evidence of a creature, was a late contender in the contest which has been dormant following several lean years of close encounters with the loch’s most famous resident.

However, 2011 proved to be a bumper year with three “good” sightings reported to the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club which first launched the competition in conjunction with the bookmaker in the 1990s.

Although Mr Atkinson’s encounter in Urquhart Bay was not registered at the time with the fan club, it was reported to full-time Nessie hunter Steve Feltham, based at Dores beach. The image depicts something about 1.5 metres wide and 23 metres below the surface. 

The entry has now been judged to be the winner by Inverness Courier readers in an online poll along with the views of an expert panel.

Mr Atkinson receives a £1000 cash prize and a free £500 bet while William Hill will also place a £100 bet on the Natural History Museum confirming the existence of Nessie by the end of the year — odds are currently 100/1.

“I am absolutely delighted. It’s fantastic especially as the competition has been revived,” said Mr Atkinson who captured the image on 24th August while on his boat, Ness Express, waiting to pick some customers up from Urquhart Castle.

The quick-thinking skipper grabbed his mobile phone after a long solid echo appeared on the boat’s fish finder screen.

Mr Atkinson, who has spent about 18 years working on the loch, both on pleasure boats and teaching people to sail, remains baffled by the image.

“I think for a lot of ‘sightings’, there is often a logical explanation,” said the 43-year-old who believes some are seals, or stags swimming in the loch.

“Some sightings could have been a freak wave which people have caught in the periphery of their vision, or a dark shape.

“But I have never seen anything returned like this on the fish finder.

“It is a bizarre shape to me. I have shown it to other experienced skippers and none of us know what it was.

“Undoubtedly, there is something in the loch. I think there is truth behind every myth.”

Gary Campbell, president of the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club, described the image as quite exciting.

“From our perspective, it is conclusive proof there is something in the loch unlike some of the other ‘evidence’ which has been produced over the years,” he said.  

Rupert Adams, of William Hill, paid tribute to the winning image.

“Having something which is more specific in showing an object is very exciting for people who have an open mind to the existence of a Loch Ness monster,” he said.

Mr Adams also hopes it will encourage Nessie spotters to take part in an even “bigger and better” competition, the details of which will be announced soon. 

Other entries were:

* Runner-up Lewiston fish farm worker Jon Rowe who photographed a large, dark shape in the water while working at Dores fish farm. 

* Ayshire holidaymakers William and Joan Jobes who spotted what appeared to be a head bobbing above the water 200 to 300 yards from the shore at Fort Augustus.

* Foyers shop and cafe owner Jan Hargreaves and her husband, Simon, who saw a creature while taking a break from the store.

*Gary Campbell’s verdict on the sonar image which shows something about 1.5 metres wide and 23 metres below his boat:

“This is as good as any sonar image found in the loch. The important thing is that someone else went over the same patch and what was there, had gone.

“When you look at the size of the contact, it rules out any fish or other creatures which would be in the loch. Because of the depth, it rules out seals, deer etc which leaves us with only one conclusion.

“From our perspective, it is conclusive proof there is something in the loch unlike some of the other ‘evidence’ which has been produced over the years.

“This shows something moving and also by the nature of the sonar, it was certainly something alive underneath the boat. It is quite exciting.”  

http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/News/Nessie-sighting-wins-1000-prize-13022012.htm

Loch Ness is giant 'spirit level'

Scientists have measured the way Loch Ness tilts back and forth as the whole of Scotland bends with the passing of the tides.

It is a tiny signal seen in the way the waters at the ends of the 35km-long lake rise and fall.

When combined with the direct tug from the gravity of the Moon and Sun, the loch surface goes up and down by just 1.5mm.

The study is reported in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

"If you were on a boat in the middle of the loch, you certainly wouldn't notice it," said Philip Woodworth from the UK National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Liverpool, "but a tide like this has never been observed in a western European lake before."

Prof Woodworth, David Pugh and Machiel Bos say their precision measurement technique could be used in other lakes around the world to understand better how the Earth's crust deforms as a result of ocean movements - rather like a carpenter will use a spirit level to gauge how a length of wood deviates from the horizontal.

"I have described Loch Ness as the largest spirit level in the world," David Pugh, who is a visiting professor at NOC, told BBC News.

None of us can feel it, but Britain rises and falls by centimetres every 12 hours and 25 minutes as a great bulge of ocean water washes around the country.

The pencil-shaped Loch Ness is the largest UK lake by volume, and although inland, is close enough to the North Sea to be influenced by this loading effect.

The team placed their sensors a few metres under the lake surface at six locations, from Fort Augustus in the far southwest to Aldourie in the far northeast. They then monitored the change in the height of the overlying water during the course of 201 days.

What the scientists saw was a clear spike in the data twice a day - the result of the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun. But they could also tease out a second signal stemming from the way water rises and falls as a result of the tilting of the land. And, in fact, the latter effect sits on top of the first and is responsible for most of the amplitude change.

The team says the measurement was made to an accuracy of just 0.1 mm over the loch's 35 km length.

"We had to extract the tidal signal and get rid of all the noise. This involved very high precision," explained David Pugh.

"For example, the loch itself goes up and down every day by four centimetres just due to the pump storage scheme for hydroelectric generation, and we have to pull out a very small signal within that.

"The holy grail would be to learn from the effects of the tides something about the Earth's crust. So the more precise we can get, the more we may learn about the crust. So the more precise we can get, the more we can learn about the crust."
The University of Dundee is a Scottish Registered Charity, No. SC015096.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16394421

Loch Ness search for mysterious balloon-like object

The emergency services undertook a night-time search of Loch Ness after reports a balloon-like object had fallen from the sky.

The police, coastguard, lifeboat and an RAF search and rescue helicopter scoured the area but found nothing.

The alarm was raised at 20:00 on Saturday after members of the public said they saw a blue object fall on the south of the Loch, near Dores.

Police thought it might have been a hang glider or microlight.

However, following a three-hour search the emergency services could find "nothing untoward".

Loch Ness RNLI crew member, Vivian Bailey, said: "Speed of arrival on scene was essential and we were able to link our search efforts with those of the Coastguard and RAF, something we practise regularly.

"We believe the reports were based on sightings causing genuine concern and we commend the actions of the members of the public that contacted the emergency services."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-14606660

Columba met a bear, not Nessie

I READ of David Feltham, and others of his ilk before him, and I despair (“20 years on, Nessie hunter still undaunted”, The Herald, July 19).


Does no-one grasp the importance of studying original sources, such as, in this case, Saint Adamnan’s Life of Columba?

I suggest Nessie hunters read his report of the saint’s encounter with what could only have been a bear.

The animal was in the river where the monks were to ford it; there were salmon there and men fishing; the so-called monster growled, then mauled a man to death, before retreating at a speed everyone found astonishing; and the River Ness shares its latitude with the home of the most famous salmon fishing bears in the world, Kodiak Island.


Read on: http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/herald-letters/columba-met-a-bear-not-nessie-1.1113153

Forget Nessie... big cat is stalking locals

05-23-2011 14:27

Spooked Loch Ness locals are being terrorized by a new monster - a giant cat that has savaged farm animals and pets, thesun.co.uk reported Saturday.

People living on the banks of the famous lake have urged police to hunt down the black beast amid fears it could attack and even kill a child, the report said.

The big cat has been spotted prowling in hills and around homes, and is thought to be behind maulings of a dog and a lamb.

Katrina Wallace is too afraid to let her three young kids outside at night after hubby Jim glimpsed the animal outside their home by the loch south of Inverness.

The mum, of Bunloit, said: "We have two black labradors and he thought it was one of those but then realized they were inside," according to the Sun.

She has taken photos of the body of a badly mauled lamb that had a large puncture wound on the back of its neck.

One of the family dogs was also attacked ― by something large enough to try to haul the labrador away. Terrified Katrina, 38, said: "The vet said it could only get an injury like that if it had been dragged," the newspaper said.

Highland Councillor Margaret Davidson said: "I believe this is a public safety issue. The police need to take this seriously."

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/05/182_87484.html

Restrictive clauses and the Loch Ness Monster

04 Feb 2011 Gavin Hinks

OFTEN, it's all in the timing. Yesterday, Accountancy Age reported quite an outburst on the subject of banks forcing their clients to use Big Four only auditors through what are called "restrictive clauses" in their banking covenants.

It took place at the ICAS/Grant Thornton debate on the future of assurance. While many may consider restrictive clauses to be the Loch Ness Monster of financial arrangements (much talked about, but never proven) ICAS president Alan Thomson took the floor and blurted out that as chairman of a private equity house he had been forced to opt for a Big Four auditor by lenders. "That's not right," he proclaimed.

Many agree with him. Government minister Ed Davey has even said if such clauses are being used they should be a matter for the competition authorities. Positive, but not far from saying that if the monster does exist it should be a concern for zoologists, not crypto-zoologists.

But despite Alan Thomson's quite emphatic statement some people remain doubtful that restrictive clauses are actually real.

For example, last night the issue cropped up at the annual open meeting of the Financial Reporting Council.

During open questions one member of the audience asked the FRC what it was doing about restrictive clauses because they were, in his words, "profoundly in restraint of trade".

FRC chairman Baroness Hogg was much less certain. She said the regulator simply did not know the extent to which the clauses were being used and added more research was required.

Far be it for me to point out the obvious but that research now has a place to start - Alan Thomson. It would be no surprise if someone among the competition authorities felt the same way too. Or Ed Davey for that matter.

As far as I am aware the Loch Ness Monster has left little or not documentary evidence. This cannot be the case for restrictive clauses.

http://www.accountancyage.com/aa/insider-blog/2024311/restrictive-clauses-loch-ness-monster