Clan Donald Society planned for Highlands and Islands
From the Stornoway Gazette, 10 November 2009 Clan Donald Society planned for Highlands and Islands CLAN Donald, which in the days of its Lordship of the Isles held sway over huge tracts of the Highlands and Islands - from the Butt of Lewis to the Glens of Antrim - is seeking to establish with others a Clan Donald Society of the Highlands and Islands. The Society would hold meetings and ceilidhs and aim to bring about a focus for people in the Highlands and Islands who belong to Scotland's largest clan, which is in itself an amalgam of clans including those of Sleat, Clanranald, Glengarry, Keppoch, Glencoe and Antrim. Events featuring guest speakers

Probe into Friends Reunited sale
ITV's £25m sale of social networking website Friends Reunited has been referred to the Competition Commission.The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said it had asked the Commission to study the deal due to fears over its impact on the family tree research sector. For more information see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8339199.stm

Scottish Place-Name Society - Autumn Conference - Saturday 7th November 2009
Discovering the origins of Scotland's place names has been one of my interests for many years and has been a great way to explore the extensive settlement history of the nation.  The Scottish Place-Name Society are holding their autumn conference on Saturday 7th November 2009 at Glasgow University, Western Infirmary Lecture Theatre. Here is the programme:9.45: Registration 10.00: Welcome and introduction10.15: Pete Drummond: Gaelic Place-names between Campsies and Clyde11.00: Coffee 11.30: Richard Cox: Sanda12.05: Jake King: Lost Aber-names12.40: Guto Rhy

Burns & the Sugar Plantocrats of Ayrshire by Eric J. Graham
Eric J. Graham is an author, historian and one of Scotland‘s leading authorities on maritime history.  His latest work, Burns & the Sugar Plantocrats of Ayrshire, has just been produced by the Ayrshire Archaeological and Natural History Society.Eric has written on a vast range of subjects such as slavery and emancipation, pirates and the Scots, the American Civil War, the Act of Union to name but a few. To see a list follow this link Eric Graham publicationsHere is the forward by Professor Tom Devine to Burns & the Sugar Pla

Family Tree DNA database
Picking a DNA Testing Company? What Size is Their Database?Why the Database Size is EssentialWhether your goal is to verify your genealogy or to discover your deep ancestral origins, the size of the testing company's database is of fundamental importance. To get the best and most accurate answer, you want to compare your results with as many others as possible, which means choosing the company with the largest and most robust database. Family Tree DNA is in the lead—Our databases are several times larger than all the others' combined!About The Family Tree DNA Database