Sport as real life

A new chapter that examines the relationship between sport and European society. It argues that the discourses of modernisation surrounding the sports industry echo broader political and economic discourses that dominate European thinking on the relationship between sports and industry

The temperatures of dust-enshrouded AGNs

A high density of massive dark objects (MDOs), probably supermassive black holes, in the centres of nearby galaxies has been inferred from recent observations. There are various indications that much of the accretion responsible for producing these objects took place in dust-enshrouded active galactic nuclei (AGNs). If so, then measurements of the intensity of background radiation and the source counts in the far-infrared and submillimetre wavebands constrain the temperature of dust in these AGNs. An additional constraint comes from the hard X-ray background, if this is produced by accretion. One possibility is that the dust shrouds surrounding the accreting AGNs are cold, about 30 K. In this event, the dusty AGNs could be some subset of the population of luminous distant sources discovered at 850 microns using the SCUBA array on the JCMT, as proposed by Almaini et al. (1999). An alternative is that the dust shrouds surrounding the accreting AGNs are much hotter (> 60 K). These values are closer to the dust temperatures of a number of well-studied low-redshift ultraluminous galaxies that are thought to derive their power from accretion. If the local MDO density is close to the maximum permitted, then cold sources cannot produce this density without the submillimetre background being overproduced if they accrete at high radiative efficiency, and thus a hot population is required. If the dust-enshrouded accretion occurred at similar redshifts to that taking place in unobscured optical quasars, then a significant fraction of the far-infrared background radiation measured by COBE at 140 microns, but very little of the submilllimetre background at 850 microns, may have been produced by hot dust-enshrouded AGNs which may have already been seen in recent X-ray surveys.Comment: MNRAS in pres

The Scottish Dimension in Film and Television

First paragraph: LOCAL AND GLOBAL DOMAINS: ‘SCOTTISH’ FILM AND TELEVISION? The concepts of ‘Scottish’ film and ‘Scottish’ television provoke challenging questions about what constitutes the national dimension in culture. Attributions of national character bring complications, about history, society and culture, as well as economics, politics and psychology. This is why they tend to produce debate or dissent more often than consensus. Film and television extend further an older argument about the local traits of cultural output, such as literature and painting

Scottish media is in dire straits – it’s why alternatives like Bella Caledonia are vital

First paragraph: As the Scottish independence movement contemplates a possible second referendum, it has been rocked by news that an online magazine that established a significant voice in the first vote could close

The Sunday Post: how Scotland’s sleepiest newspaper silenced the detractors

First paragraph: During the 100-year-plus history of Scotland’s Sunday Post, people have often said it is without compare – but they didn’t always intend it positively. When The Guardian’s media writer Roy Greenslade once applauded the onset of its modernisation in 2011, he observed: "When I first read it, back in the 1970s, I was amazed that it had any audience at all. So I was astonished to be told that its odd mix of quirky news, sentimental stories and cartoon strips had made it the best-selling paper in Scotland by far."  What a contrast to now. The Post was recently named Newspaper of the Year at theScottish Press Awards, alongside plaudits under the “front page”, “scoop”, “reporter” and “journalist” categories. For anyone that knows this paper, it is an astounding achievement

Scotland Decides ’14: what does independence debate mean for the BBC?

First paragraph: The union Equity is calling for a national Scottish broadcaster to be created regardless of the outcome of the independence referendum in September. Meanwhile, BBC Trust director Jeremy Peat warned the Scottish parliament’s culture committee that unfettered access to BBC programming wouldn’t necessarily continue in the event of independence. Access this article on The Conversation website: https://theconversation.com/scotland-decides-14-what-does-independence-debate-mean-for-the-bbc-2589

Scotland Decides ’14: could the Commonwealth Games swing it for either side?

First paragraph: You may have thought that politics-as-usual was only put on ice during war time. But, no; politicians on both sides of Scotland’s divide have been promisingin recent days that they won’t sully Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games with the battle over September’s independence referendum. Access this article on The Conversation website: https://theconversation.com/scotland-decides-14-could-the-commonwealth-games-swing-it-for-either-side-2963

Scotland Decides ’14: if No wins, what happens next?

First paragraph: Will the heady blend of Westminster love-bombing, ominous corporate warnings and a saltire flag over Downing Street be enough to persuade the Scots to come back into the fold? We have already looked at what will happen if they vote Yes. Now we we ask our panel what would will happen if they opt for No. Access this article on The Conversation website: https://theconversation.com/scotland-decides-14-if-no-wins-what-happens-next-3154

Scotland Decides ’14: does anyone really care what celebrities think?

First paragraph: Barely a day goes by when there’s not another famous face giving a nod or a headshake to independence. Most recently Daniel Radcliffe and veteran Scottish comic actor Stanley Baxter have both said no, while Elijah Wood appeared to come out for yes before later saying he had misunderstood the question. Days earlier it was JK Rowling and the Pope (both on the no side), while pro-independence actor Brian Cox was on the BBC’s Scotland 2014 programme last night restating his views. We asked our panel whether any of these interventions made any difference. Access this article on The Conversation website: https://theconversation.com/scotland-decides-14-does-anyone-really-care-what-celebrities-think-2848