The Thistle has A New Look
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Welcome to the second issue of The Thistle with its new look. The Thistle is now published each month and delivered directly to your in-box. Archived issues going back to 2008 are available on the website. Please submit articles and newsworthy information to The Editor at: rees1@mac.com. or:
The Editor
Saint Andrew’s Society of Los Angeles
3836 Goodland Avenue
Studio City, CA 91604
The publisher accepts no responsibility for the opinions expressed, accuracy of information, or similarity of names submitted by authors.
PUBLISHER EDITOR Ian J. Skone-Rees, FSA Scot
email
The
Policies & Procedures of the Society have been updated. Current members of the Society may view these in the member restricted area of the website.
Social Media: Cindy Jean Wylie, Kim Attebery, Heather Griffith, Ian Skone-Rees
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Show Us Your Tartan!
Gentleman's Ties • Ladies Sash • Men's Polo Shirts • Rosette • Kilt • Lapel Pin • Cap Badge –
New
Blazer Badge –
New
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The Society's
NEW Blazer Badge has arrived and may be purchased online. Fine quality metallic threads in gold and silver make this the ideal adornment to your favourite blazer. Secured with three clutch pins it can be moved from jacket to blazer or permanently sewn.
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Shop these and other items in St. Andrew's official tartan here.
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The Society Polo Shirt is the ideal way to dress down for the summer. Top quality 55% cotton 35% Polyester with the Society shield exquisitely embroidered.
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“It is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.”
P.G. Wodehouse
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Our sister Society in Montreal has initiated a series of 'Pop-Up Pipers'. A piper plays for a few minutes at an undisclosed location to ensure correct social distancing and to curtail crowds forming.
Which of you pipers would like to embark on our own series of POP? Please contact
Ian Skone-Rees to schedule.
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Greetings from Andy Scott
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Sculptor Andy Scott is a graduate of Glasgow School of Art and works internationally from his studio workshop in Philadelphia, PA. He creates prominent public artworks for private, corporate and civic clients, and his prodigious output now numbers in excess of eighty projects internationally.
He works in steel and bronze, combining figurative and equine themes with contemporary techniques to create stunning landmark artworks.
His most prominent project to date is
The Kelpies, a pair of 30 metre/100ft high, 300 ton horse heads, sited in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. The Kelpies sculptures are now the best-known public artworks in Scotland, with millions of visitors since their inauguration.
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Interview with Richard MacKenzie MD CM
St. Andrew's Board Member and 3rd. V.P.
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Many of us have met Susan through her band Blackwaterside, bringing the musical soul of Scotland to many of our events. Having grown up in Chicago, Susan credits much of her passion for all things Scottish to her mother, Millicent Craig. In Susan’s own words, her mother “exemplifies the Scottish temperament – a mixture of humor and pride, of forthrightness and gruffness, of deep emotions and passions, and an unmistakable gregariousness.” Perhaps that is a good place to start!
Susan, thanks for taking the time to share a little of your life experience. Your mother is indeed a very special person, who has had a lasting impact on your life, not only in values and beliefs, but in the influence of Scottish culture and how you view the world.
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John Newton was an English slave trader who saw the error of his ways and became an Anglican Preacher. He became a major influence on abolitionist William Wilberforce and joined with him to campaign for the abolition of the slave trade. The Act to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire became law in 1807. John Newton collaborated with William Cowper to write hymns, one of which was "Faith's Review and Expectation," which has come to be known by its opening phrase,
"Amazing Grace."
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Drew Tasker, a first generation Scot from Forfar in East Scotland, left his roots to explore a job opportunity as a Quantity Surveyor in the US. He is presently working as a Construction Cost Consultant with Glen Prosen Inc, supporting management, project controls and cost estimating. He loves soccer, both on and off the field, along with curling (presently in search of a club and rink). He and his parents, who flew over from Scotland, experienced the joy and warmth of the Society's Burns Supper 2020 in Altadena. Both he and his wife Emily, are looking forward to meeting up with other members of the Society.
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Highland Games Heavy Athletic Events:
Weight over the Bar
By Steve Adams
The highland games are events held throughout the year in Scotland and other countries as way to celebrate Scottish and Celtic culture.
One of the big draws for many people who come to Scottish festivals and highland games are the Heavy Athletic events, where men AND women Lift and throw a variety of objects showing great stregnth, skill and technique – all while clad in a kilt.
In the Beginning, Highland Games started out as athletic competitions. It has been said that after witnessing a Highland Games in Scotland, Pierre de Coubertin used this competition as an idea to revive the modern Olympic Games.
The Scottish American Athletic Association (SAAA) recognizes 6 events: The Caber Toss, The Weight over the Bar, the Hammer Throw, the Braemar (open) Stone throw, the Weight for Distance, and the Sheaf Toss.
In the Weight Over the Bar event, the goal is to toss a 56 pound( 4 stone) weight with an attached handle over a horizontal bar using only one hand. An athlete has three attempts at each height. If the height is cleared, the the athlete moves on to a greater height in the next round. The winner is determined by the athlete who has the highest successful toss with the fewest misses being used as a tiebreaker if there is a tie.
Photo:
Weight over the Bar by Steve Adams at the 2016 Seaside Highland Games, Ventura, CA
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Tired of the pace and noise of life near London and longing for a better place to raise their young children, Mary J. MacLeod and her husband encountered their dream while vacationing on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides. Enthralled by its windswept beauty, they soon were the proud owners of a near-derelict croft house—a farmer’s stone cottage—on “a small acre” of land. Mary assumed duties as the island’s district nurse.
Call the Nurse is her account of the enchanted years she and her family spent there, coming to know its folk as both patients and friends.
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In three years as a Watcher, Grace Evans has made a name for herself and is on her way to becoming The Council’s best asset. To protect the future she must also protect the past, making sure history happens as it should and saving mankind from themselves. For her next mission, The Council instructs her that she must stop a man named Euan Cameron from rejoining the Jacobite Army and dying in battle at Culloden. Once Grace arrives in the Scottish Highlands of 1746, it doesn't take her long to discover that this mission is unlike any she has previously undertaken, and she begins to wonder if her only option to save him and the future is to abandon all of The Council’s rules. When Grace makes her final choice, it changes the outcome to something neither of them could ever have expected, altering their lives and history forever.
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The Watchers author Eilidh Miller is perhaps better known to the Society membership as Heather Griffith. Heather is a new Society member and contributor to this newsletter and the Society's social media.
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The Pandemic Thriller that went from Obscurity to Bestseller.
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Last month we introduced books by Scottish writer Peter May set in the Outer Hebriidies off the north-west coast of Scotland. Now his book Lockdown having been initially rejected by publishers 15 years ago sits top of the charts!
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June 2020 was the 205th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo when Napoleon's stranglehold on Europe was finally broken by Great Britain and her allies under the command of the Duke of Wellington. In 2015 a mammoth reenactment was performed in Belgium to mark the 200th anniversary. Reenactors from across the world gathered in Belgium to commemorate this pivotal battle. The War Horse & Militaria Heritage Foundation from southern California was part of this spectacular event and staged the famous charges of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.The St. Andrew's Society had the privilege of financing the participation of two Scots Greys Troopers to attend and participate.
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Presentation of cheque to Fritz Bronner, President War Horse & Militaria Heritage Foundation to support two Scots Greys Troopers' participation in the bicentennial reenactment of the Charge of the Scots Greys at Waterloo.
The video clip is from the film WATERLOO.
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Robert Burns – The Stuarts – and the 4th of July
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In this month, when we celebrate American Independence, I thought it would be interesting to contemplate at least one aspect of the poet’s respect for, and support of, American Independence and, once again, his impatience with the clergy!
While living in Ellisland, Burns attended the parish church of the Rev Joseph Kirkpatrick. Burns found Kirkpatrick hopelessly dull and uneducated, in fact, he described him as ….
“one vast constellation of dullness and stupidity”
…. and Burns was not alone in his views, his friend Captain Robert Riddell wrote of the minister:
“ .. his ignorance and stupidity is such, and so great a mule is he, that no good can be done with him”.
In 1788, Burns vehemently disagreed with a sermon the Reverend Kirkpatrick preached celebrating the centenary of the defeat in 1688 of the royal House of Stuart.
In a letter published on November 8, 1788, in the
Evening Courant
and signed “A Briton”, Burns affirmed his loyalty to the Hanoverian line but deplored the belittling of the Stuarts. Burns wrote …
“the Stuarts have been condemned and laughed at for the folly and impracticability of their attempts in 1715 and 1745. That they failed, I bless my God most fervently; but I cannot join in the ridicule against them. Who does not know that the abilities or defects of leaders and commanders are often hidden until put to the touchstone of exigence.
He then went on to draw a parallel:
“I will not, I cannot, enter into the merits of the cause, but I dare say, the American Congress in 1776 will be allowed to have been as able and as enlightened and, a whole empire will say, as honest as the English convention in 1688;
and that July 4 will be as sacred to their posterity as November 5 is to us”.
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The Declaration of Arbroath, dated April 6 1320, was written by the barons and freeholders of Scotland, on behalf of the Kingdom of Scotland, to Pope John XXII, asking him to recognise Scotland's independence and acknowledge Robert the Bruce as the country's lawful king.
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Declarations of Arbroath and US Declaration of Independence
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The US Declaration of Independence was largely based on the Declaration of Arbroath which this year celebrates its 700th Anniversary.
A double reason to celebrate in 2020.
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The National Library of Scotland is a reference library with world-class collections. It is also Scotland's largest library and one of the major research libraries in Europe.
The
collections range from rare historical documents to online journals, covering every subject. It specialises in Scotland's knowledge, history and culture.
The American Patrons of the National Libraries and Galleries of Scotland have been a recipient of a grant from St. Andrew's Society of Los Angeles and provides private tours of the libraries to visiting members of the St. Andrew's Society of Los Angeles when arranged in advance.
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King Robert the Bruce is injured and on the run from the English army. On the brink of defeat, a widow and her family nurse him back to health and join
The Bruce as he sets out to claim the long awaited freedom of Scotland.
Starring
Angus Macfadyen, Jared Harris, Zach McGowan. Director Richard Gray.
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William and Anne Jamieson family
L-R: Violet, Anne, Ellen, Jane and William.
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The Jamiesons
A Family story
By Gary Carr
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William Jamieson and his new bride Anne Payne Jamieson emigrated from Scotland to America in 1858. William was a native of Stirlingshire, born in 1831, and Anne a native Londoner, born in 1834. They were married in Edinburgh shortly before they left Scotland. The couple settled in St. Louis, Missouri, and according to family history one of the first people William met after arriving in St. Louis was Ulysses S. Grant. A friendship began when Grant sold William a cow.
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75th Anniversary of VE Day May 8, 2020
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Prince Charles (known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland) lays a wreath at the Balmoral war memorial in Scotland.
To all those who died in the service of their country. We will remember them.
Photograph: Amy Muir/REX/Shutterstock
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Now in its 4th decade,
The Highlander is the
Scottish American community's oldest, largest, most widely read and respected magazine. Each 80-page issue contains colorful articles on personalities, places and events in Scottish history, plus reports on the activities of the Scottish American community today.
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Mortlach Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 15 Years, is the ninth and final bottling to join the Game of Thrones-inspired range.
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The new whisky has been matured in first-fill Sherry-seasoned casks and finished in American oak ex-Bourbon casks. It is said to have a fruity character and a “bold, smooth taste with notes of vanilla and spice”.
Speyside distillery Mortlach, which was built on the site of an historic battle, is thought to be Dufftown’s first legal distillery. George Cowie took over ownership of the distillery in 1853.
The whisky is presented in a metallic gold canister featuring a pen and ink drawing of the Three-Eyed Raven. The design pays homage to the independence of the north, which was granted by Bran Stark, who served as the Three-Eyed Raven. He was chosen as king of the Six Kingdoms in the finale.
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What is Single Malt Whisky?
Single Malt Whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery. Under the UK's 'Scotch Whisky Regulations', a Single Malt Scotch Whisky must be made exclusively from malted barley, must be distilled using pot stills at a single distillery, and must be aged for at least three years in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 litres (185 US gallons).
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Make sure you try Irn-Bru – Scotland's 'other' national drink
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Scotland is one of the few countries in the world where a locally-made soft drink outsells Coca-Cola.
Brewed from Girders.
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Like many small businesses MacLeods is facing challenging times but with typical Scottish ingenuity proprietor Alistair Boase is meeting the challenges head-on. MacLeods' support of our Society is without bounds and now it is time for us to reciprocate. What better way than to order beer and a pizza, pick-up or delivery – learn how here…
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SCOTLANDIS
NOW
is a collaborative marketing campaign which relies on partners outside of government promoting it in their wider communications/engagement work. Our St. Andrew's Society is proud to partner with Scottish Counselor in the US Joni Smith and her office in promoting Scotland in southern California and beyond.
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The St. Andrew's Society has donated to key charities helping those most in need during these turbulent times. Please help us continue this outreach by making your own donation.
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