192
road A82, rated the most dangerous in Scotland, and the one whose course from
Inverness to Glasgow parallels several Lochs, particularly Lomond, by way of a
narrow, two-lane road. It is a deathtrap, allowing for few turnouts and very few spots
to ever get off the road and appreciate the scenery. Communities themselves are all
but trapped, it would seem, by this ill-conceived shooting gallery of a road
28
. Indeed,
the tourist who rents a car and drives the A82 is likely, at length to wonder whether
he/she had seen anything at all, both hands gripped in sweat, have clenched a steering wheel for unrelenting hour-after-hour. In late Spring and Summer, outdoor reststops in those Highlands provide relief for less than ten seconds: the time it takes for
uncountable swarming midges (Culicoides impunctatus) to detect a large, warmblooded target. One might have thought (hoped?) the persistently aggravated freeze
of a long Winter would do these miniature demons in, for good. But, no: the wonders of biology. Their nearly 5000 fellow species, members of the Ceratopogonidae
family, have been around for approximately 100 million years, inspiring what taxonomists have termed a kind of “phylogenetic chaos.” If nothing else, plein air
painting in May or June throughout the Highlands (and much of Western Wales, for
that matter) is nothing less than pure masochism.
20.3 The Ecology of Fiscal Riot
Solutions? Declares the report, “…a re-institution of the fiscal conditions which
helped to maintain a reasonable level of population in the late 18th century,”
29
excepting the circumstances of 1782–1783, in which famine afflicted most Highland
Parishes, a period which to this day is perceived as having been a “turning point” in
Scotland’s history
30
. The first census in Scotland in 1755 revealed a population of
“1,265,380,” 30% of whom were already living within Scotland’s four principal cities
31
. With more than four times that population today, the question of energy is
obviously on everyone’s mind. There are two nuclear power plants in Scotland, the
one in Ayrshire having recently exhibited hundreds of cracks, underscoring the perils of aging nuclear power in a region known for seismic activity
32
. But public
28 See https://www.obantimes.co.uk/2019/06/03/highlands-roads-among-top-10-most-dangerousin-scotland-for-bikers/; see also, https://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/scotland/4002-a82.html.
For a superb overview of all those forces in the arts, exploration and science that helped shape the
period between the latter half of the 18
th , and first part of the 19
th centuries, see Barbara Maria
Stafford’s Voyage into Substance: Art, Science, Nature, and the Illustrated Travel Account, 17601840, MIT Press, Cambridge Mass, 1984,
29 ibid., pp.162, 55.
30 ibid., p.53.
31 See Tyson, R. E., “Population Patterns: 1. to 1770”, in M. Lynch, ed., The Oxford Companion to
Scottish History, New York, 2001.
32 See “Hunterston B: Pictures show cracks in Ayrshire nuclear reactor,” by Kevin Keane, BBC
Scotland’s environment correspondent, BBC News, March 8, 2019.
20 The Grampians
road A82, rated the most dangerous in Scotland, and the one whose course from
Inverness to Glasgow parallels several Lochs, particularly Lomond, by way of a
narrow, two-lane road. It is a deathtrap, allowing for few turnouts and very few spots
to ever get off the road and appreciate the scenery. Communities themselves are all
but trapped, it would seem, by this ill-conceived shooting gallery of a road
28
. Indeed,
the tourist who rents a car and drives the A82 is likely, at length to wonder whether
he/she had seen anything at all, both hands gripped in sweat, have clenched a steering wheel for unrelenting hour-after-hour. In late Spring and Summer, outdoor reststops in those Highlands provide relief for less than ten seconds: the time it takes for
uncountable swarming midges (Culicoides impunctatus) to detect a large, warmblooded target. One might have thought (hoped?) the persistently aggravated freeze
of a long Winter would do these miniature demons in, for good. But, no: the wonders of biology. Their nearly 5000 fellow species, members of the Ceratopogonidae
family, have been around for approximately 100 million years, inspiring what taxonomists have termed a kind of “phylogenetic chaos.” If nothing else, plein air
painting in May or June throughout the Highlands (and much of Western Wales, for
that matter) is nothing less than pure masochism.
20.3 The Ecology of Fiscal Riot
Solutions? Declares the report, “…a re-institution of the fiscal conditions which
helped to maintain a reasonable level of population in the late 18th century,”
29
excepting the circumstances of 1782–1783, in which famine afflicted most Highland
Parishes, a period which to this day is perceived as having been a “turning point” in
Scotland’s history
30
. The first census in Scotland in 1755 revealed a population of
“1,265,380,” 30% of whom were already living within Scotland’s four principal cities
31
. With more than four times that population today, the question of energy is
obviously on everyone’s mind. There are two nuclear power plants in Scotland, the
one in Ayrshire having recently exhibited hundreds of cracks, underscoring the perils of aging nuclear power in a region known for seismic activity
32
. But public
28 See https://www.obantimes.co.uk/2019/06/03/highlands-roads-among-top-10-most-dangerousin-scotland-for-bikers/; see also, https://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/scotland/4002-a82.html.
For a superb overview of all those forces in the arts, exploration and science that helped shape the
period between the latter half of the 18
th , and first part of the 19
th centuries, see Barbara Maria
Stafford’s Voyage into Substance: Art, Science, Nature, and the Illustrated Travel Account, 17601840, MIT Press, Cambridge Mass, 1984,
29 ibid., pp.162, 55.
30 ibid., p.53.
31 See Tyson, R. E., “Population Patterns: 1. to 1770”, in M. Lynch, ed., The Oxford Companion to
Scottish History, New York, 2001.
32 See “Hunterston B: Pictures show cracks in Ayrshire nuclear reactor,” by Kevin Keane, BBC
Scotland’s environment correspondent, BBC News, March 8, 2019.
20 The Grampians