Latest news with #Beattie
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
The ex-Hearts and Celtic star looking to help free agents as he aims to make difference amid 'sad reality'
Former Hearts and Celtic striker Craig Beattie is helping out-of-contract SPFL stars find new clubs at the PFA Scotland showcase event. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... As part of his role with PFA Scotland - the independent trade union for professional footballers - former Hearts and Celtic forward Craig Beattie is helping out-of-contract players find new clubs ahead of the new SPFL season. Beattie, 41, is currently the union's Player Relations Officer and he has played a key role in organising this year's annual showcase event, which takes place at Cumbernauld's Broadwood Stadium. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The likes of ex-Celtic full-back Daniel Church and ex-Rangers midfielder Harry Weir are among the group building up to a match this Saturday which will see managers, coaches and scouts attend looking to pick up a hidden gem. Beattie hopes to get talented players moves to SPFL clubs 'The lads behind me are out of contract, they're looking for employment, looking for a job ultimately and it's a really difficult time at this stage of the season so every year PFA Scotland puts the talent showcase on with a view to trying to help the guys and support them getting a club for next year,' Beattie explained to Sky Sports. 'They train all week and the sessions have been brilliant so far. Then ultimately we'll get a game on a Saturday where there'll be loads of coaches, scouts and managers looking to strengthen the squad for next year. 'I think at times once you're a football player you get classed as earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a week like some of the players in England do. But we know full well that those riches aren't here in Scotland and it's stark contrast to the players here who are concerned about their career and their future. We also dip into education and personal development in the afternoon because some of these lads are out of full-time academies for example and they won't stay in full-time football. That's the sad reality. Our job is to help them do that. 'Industry-wide the exit element for the players could be a lot better but the players should be thankful and grateful that they've got the players' unions there to support them. There's a lot of funding, a lot of work and a lot of effort goes into providing that support. What we then hope is that the players buy into what we're doing because it's vital to them and some of them don't realise at this moment in time how vital it's going to be so it's not until a little bit down the line where they go I wish I tuned into that, I wish I tapped into that resource but we're there to reissue the message.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The showcase matches have previously been a success, with many players going on to win contracts at club's within the SPFL or below in the likes of the Lowland League. Beattie highlighted the example of former Aberdeen youth star Finn Yeats - who managed to earn a full-time deal with John McGlynn's Falkirk and is now a Scottish Premiership player after the Bairns' second-tier title success. Falkirk ace is great example of PFA Scotland showcase working He said: 'Ali Spalding went to Arbroath and is now a League One champion. We've had Corey O'Donnell and Kinley Bilham go to Stenny and they are playing regularly. The big one for us has been Finn Yates. He signed for Falkirk three years ago, he was at a bit of a low ebb, came to the talent showcase, played really well on a Saturday and he signed for Falkirk soon after. 'The end of his first season he played in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup. Season two he was in the PFA Scotland team of the year, part of the invincible side that won League One and then last year he'd been promoted to the top flight. Now there's a lot of talent and hard work that's went into that from Finn, a lot of work from Falkirk as well so a huge amount of credit goes to Falkirk but that opportunity might not have arisen for Finn if he wasn't part of the talent showcase and that's what I'm having to convince and say to these players that opportunity is there. Some of these players behind us could end up being top flight players in two or three years just like what Finn has done.'
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Bumper swede crop wins award
Taieri Winter Crop Competition An award-winning swede crop grown high on a Strath Taieri hill tastes better after being hit by its first frost. Sheep and beef farmer Ash Beattie runs about 6000 Perendale ewes and about 200 cows, mostly Angus, on his more than 1400ha rolling to steep property Glenlee Run in Black Rock, about 30km northwest of Outram. At a ceremony in Mosgiel earlier this month, Mr Beattie was announced as the winner of the category for swede cultivated on a hill at the Taieri Winter Crop Competition. "It was quite nice to hear." He enters the competition most years and it was the first time he had a win. Calves, ewes and hoggets were now eating the 40ha prize-winning swede crop more than 600m above sea level. Ewes were usually put on the crop later but they had been given early access due to a bumper crop. "It is quite a big paddock and we thought we'll never get through them if we don't chew them off a wee bit with something else." The first frost had hit the swede crop and made it taste good. "It brings the sugar up and they're sweeter and nicer." A pre-emergent herbicide was applied when the swede seed was sown to control weeds. He credits the season for the top crop. "We had a good growing season. A good spring set us up with good moisture and not too cold." Summer played ball, the right mix of dry weather and consistent rainfall. The great weather continues. "It has been a really good autumn. It can be quite cold at this time of year but it has been pretty mild. "We've been pretty lucky." Winter could be challenging, snowing-in anyone on the farm for up to 10 days, but it had been pretty mild the past three winters. The winter feed supply was once swedes, kale and hay but when it ran out they needed to buy sheep nuts to cover the shortfall. Now baleage was made to feed out instead of hay. Good-quality baleage provides more energy than hay. "It has been 10 years since I've had to buy sheep nuts." As the farm got more fertile and feed quality improved, the livestock had got bigger. For the first time during their tenure, heifers on Glenlee Run would have calves. A proposal to introduce genetics from a Hereford bull had been floated to obtain some hybrid vigour in the herd, he said. The traditional focus on Glenlee Run to fatten livestock had changed this season to make the most of a buoyant lamb market. "The prices were pretty good this year so we stored a lot of lambs early and kept the better ones and fattened them." Rising sheep and beef prices were needed as farmers had been doing it tough in recent years. "Prices have been very hot this year compared to last year." The higher beef and lamb prices were allowing farmers to resume their full maintenance programme, such as applying fertiliser and fixing fences. A focus of his sheep breeding programme was growing quality strong wool, even though the fibre was not worth much at market. "I like my wool." He liked Perendale sheep because they were easy to move around hill country and they handled the snow well. There was no intention to change sheep breed. "Why change something that isn't broken — that's my motto."
Calgary Herald
23-05-2025
- Calgary Herald
Best walks: Nos. 19-21 take you on a ramble through two parks and botanical gardens
Lori Beattie knows a thing or two about walking. She's travelled every path and trail listed in her new updated book, Calgary's Best Walks. Article content She explained why she loves to explore this city on foot in a Weekend Life column on March 29, and now we're encouraging you to follow in her footsteps. Over the next few months, we'll highlight one of the 95 walks in Beattie's book, complete with necessary details and tasty stops along the way. Today we share Nos. 19, 20, 21: Dale Hodges Park, Bowmont Park, and the Botanical Gardens of Silver Springs. Article content Article content Article content Offering a complete nature break, these interconnected walks lead to Rockies and Bow River views, waterfalls and an explosion of colour in Silver Springs. Begin on the paved Bow River Pathway and connect to Dale Hodges Park, a birders' paradise that is tucked between Silver Springs and the Bow River. Article content Once a gravel pit, the area was transformed into wetlands through a unique collaboration between parks, water resources and public art departments. Walk the trails and boardwalks past marshes, wet meadows and Nautilus Pond and learn about the stormwater treatment process as it flows to the Bow River. This process is estimated to reduce sediment in stormwater by 50 per cent, helping to protect our river system. Article content Calgary is home to over 200 bird species, some migrating and some residents, and many can be seen along the river and in the wetlands. Slow the pace in Dale Hodges Park to see mallards, cedar waxwings, yellow and red-winged blackbirds and maybe the tiny migratory northern saw-whet owl. One of the smallest owls in North America, the adults are the size of a robin. Article content Article content Continue past Nautilus Pond and onto the rollercoaster grassland pathways in Bowmont Park, one of my dog's favourite parks to explore with its mix of on- and off-leash. The hilly topography is perfect for hikers in training. Practice the 'mountaineer' or 'rest' step when climbing the hills. Take a step uphill, straighten the stepping leg by letting your heel come back to the ground and then take your next uphill step. If the hill is steep, you may want to count one second in between steps. This endurance technique lets you relax your calf muscles and breathe easy, so you have lots of energy for the long haul. Article content You'll enjoy multitudes of wildflowers that cover the slopes and a bird's eye view of some of the impressive properties along the river in Bowness, as well as the mountains on the horizon. Walk 19 continues west into Waterfall Valley and descends to the river, while Walk 20 heads north to connect to Walk 21 in the Botanical Gardens of Silver Springs. This garden oasis hosts picnic areas amongst the fruit trees and gardens featuring over 100 species of roses, peonies, edible plants, herbs, a wall garden and a rock and crevice alpine garden. Be sure to walk there in August when the cheery sunflowers are in their towering golden glory.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Mesmerizing new simulation shows the space between stars like you've never seen it before
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. If you've ever poured milk into a cup of coffee and watched it swirl, you've seen turbulence in action. This phenomenon is responsible for everything from a bumpy airplane trip to ocean currents. Now, researchers have developed a way to visualize in unprecedented detail the turbulence within the interstellar medium — the clouds of gas and charged particles between stars — and how it interacts with magnetic fields. The model was described in a paper published May 13 in the journal Nature Astronomy. "This is the first time we can study these phenomena at this level of precision and at these different scales," James Beattie, an astrophysicist at the University of Toronto and Princeton University, and lead author of the new study, said in a statement. Such complex calculations take a lot of computing power. To develop their model, Beattie and his colleagues used the SuperMUC-NG supercomputer at Germany's Leibniz Supercomputing Center. The model is scalable, consisting of a series of virtual modules that can be stacked to form a cube of up to 10,000 units. At this size, it can help researchers simulate our galaxy's magnetic field. When scaled down, it can be used to model more localized turbulent processes in space, such as the solar wind, the stream of charged particles emanating from the sun. "This is the first time we can study these phenomena at this level of precision and at these different scales," Beattie said. Related: Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' contains surprisingly accurate physics — suggesting he understood the hidden 'dynamism of the sky' The charged particles in the interstellar medium are significantly more diffuse than even ultrahigh vacuum experiments on Earth. Still, their motion is enough to generate a magnetic field. This field is millions of times weaker than a fridge magnet, but in the vacuum of space, it plays a major role in shaping galaxies, and even in forming stars. Unlike previous simulations, the new model considered this dynamic, replicating how the field shifts and swirls interstellar ions from areas of higher or lower density based on their charge. This could help astrophysicists gain a deeper understanding of how galaxies like our own came to be. RELATED STORIES —A dozen black holes may be 'wandering' through our galaxy — and they're the rarest type in the universe —Astronomers spy puzzlingly 'perfect' cosmic orb with unknown size and location —Venus may be geologically 'alive' after all, reanalysis of 30-year-old NASA data reveals In the future, Beattie and his team hope to develop models with even higher resolution. They also plan to compare their simulations against real-world data, such as solar wind measurements. Sensitive new observatories, like Australia and South Africa's joint Square Kilometre Array, promise to make these models even more precise. The images promise to be just as stunning. "I love doing turbulence research," Beattie said. "It looks the same whether you're looking at the plasma between galaxies, within galaxies, within the solar system, in a cup of coffee or in Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night.'"
The Irish Sun
22-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
‘Marian's family deserve to know what happened' – Fresh info plea over murder of teen in Tyrone quarry over 50 years ago
A FRESH appeal has been issued for information around the murder of an 18-year-old in Co Tyrone more than 50 years ago. The She had been attending a charity dance at Hadden's Garage in The teenager was last seen leaving the dance with a young man just after 1am and walking in the direction of Her body was discovered at the bottom of the nearby quarry shortly after 6am the following morning. Detectives from the Read more in News A spokesperson said they would like to talk to anyone who remembered seeing Ms Beattie at the dance, and who she had been talking to. The said: 'We believe Marian left the dance at Hadden's Garage with a man, walking in the direction of the nearby car park at the top of Hadden's Quarry about 400 yards away from the garage. 'We do not know what happened next but Marian's body was found at the bottom of the quarry approximately 80-100ft below the car park. 'I appreciate this murder took place over 50 years ago but we would like to talk to anyone who was at the dance at Hadden's Garage on the night of Friday, March 30 1973. Most read in The Irish Sun 'Marian went there with a girlfriend to listen to her brother's band. 'Did you see who she was dancing with or speaking with? Did you see her leave the dance with a man? Do you know who he was? Did you see her in the car park at the quarry any time after 1.15am on the Saturday morning?' Ireland's Longest Unsolved Missing Persons Cases They have also appealed to anybody who might remember seeing anyone who was at the dance returning home distressed or with dirt on their clothes. The said: 'Marian's family deserve to know what happened to her that night. 'I am appealing to anyone who may be able to help us progress the investigation and bring some closure to the Beattie family to come forward and speak to detectives in Legacy Investigation Branch. 'Detectives can be contacted by calling 101.' In a TG4 documentary aired earlier this year, Marian's brother recalled the moment he found her body. 'COULD SEE HER LYING THERE' Isadore recalled: 'We drove straight to the quarry and the strange thing about it is that when we pulled up to the quarry, we just drove straight to where she was within 50ft, 60ft. . . I could see her lying on the bottom of the quarry. 'My first reaction was to run down and get her and the two policemen said, 'No don't, we cannot allow you to go there and get her.'' He added: 'Just looking at her you knew it wasn't an accident because accidents don't happen like that.' It emerged she had been hit with a piece of metal. Isadore told TG4 documentary Maru Inar Measc: 'People will tell you time is a great healer. 50 years later it feels no different. When you take your younger sister away to enjoy herself and bring her home in a coffin, it's not a good feeling. 'To watch your own mother and father almost collapse in grief, that was one of the most hardest things that has ever happened to me in my life. Gut-wrenching and heartbreaking at the same time.' 3 Marion's murder remains unsolved 50 years after her death Credit: Collects 3 A fresh appeal for information on her murder has been issued 3 Her body was found at Hadden's Quarry in Aughnacloy Credit: PA
