text:
Talk:Gunther von Hagens

Dying from Parkinson's disease
It is not clear in the cited article that "dying from Parkinson's" was a specific quote of Mr Von Hagens. In view of the fact that Parkinson's is not typically stated as a cause of death/dying in this way, I would be reluctant to use this terminology. If someone can point to a direct quote of Mr Von Hagens I would be happy to uphold this, otherwise I think it should be changed.

Controversy
I think the much controversy that his doings stirred up show the still extreme entanglement in religious views all over the world, even though we live in the 21st century and roughly everything has been unravled by science in a consistent fashion. No doubt there will always be more to unravel but the point is that society take way longer to adapt to technology and science. People view themselves as miracles, godlike or actually extraordinary but at the core we are all very much the same. I admire people like Gunther because no matter what, his programs will serve students to educate themselves and layman to reconsider their views and gradually adapt to an everchanging technological world. The view that one`s body still belongs to the dead is a pure spiritual one. In the end it is the very same extraordinary specimens that find their way into textbooks and give evermore new insights into pathology. Slicky 11:08, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

Image
I have added a photo (screenshot) of Dr. Von Hagens, if you deem the photo is inappropriate (showing the plastinated corpse), please feel free to remove it and I will crop out the photo to show only Dr. Von Hagens.

Plastination
Prof Gunther Von Hagens is very clever to have devised the Plastination process as a way of preserving dead human bodies.

Whatever people may say as a way of criticism, the scientific fact is that the procedure is remarkable and is there for anyone who chooses to decide to donate their own body when they die rather than be traditionally buried or cremated of which some people 'shiver' at the thought.

Similarly his exhibitions are both enlightening and educational in that he shows the difference between perfect body organs and diseased ones and it gives people food for thought as to what may be going on inside their own bodies as a result of certain bad habits they may have which they can decide to change before it's too late.

No one is forced to visit Prof Von Hagen's exhibitions; everyone has a free choice as to whether to go or not and therefore it is wrong when people say that what he is showing to the public should not be allowed because in his case it is very educational and the Professor himself is an intelligent man who has studied long and hard for the type of work he is doing.

Yes, we may feel squeamish and be unable to look at certain things but that does not mean that those things should not be shown to the genuinely interested person who can perhaps learn more as to how our bodies work as with the Public Dissection/P.M he carried out in London's Brick Lane last November.

Sure he's unusual to be doing what he's doing but in his case I am convinced he is harmless and has integrity.

Kind Regards,

Louise Brown

Needs ref
I couldn't verify
 * In Germany, von Hagens refused to produce documents evidencing the consent of the deceased with such public exhibition.

so I removed it for now. AxelBoldt 22:09, 6 Oct 2003 (UTC)

Embalming with resins
I have definite written proof in my possession to show that von Hagens has NOT invented the plastination process. It's an article by Oreste Nuzzi published on the scientic magazine Sapere by Urlico Hoepli Editions on the 29th of February 1952(when von Hagens would have been a mere 7 years old). The article describes the process as using sodium silicates and potassium among other chemicals and specifically mentions the use of resins. Please someone take notice as I think this would also invalidate his patents. brutaldeluxe 02:28 08/01/09 (gmt)Brutaldeluxe (talk) 02:30, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

Hi BrutalDeluxe - the practice of embalming bodies with resins dates back to Ancient Egypt. The specific case in your article is the attempted embalming of Pope Pius XII by Nuzzi and Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi as described in the book "Modern Mummies" by Christine Quigley - published online here:. Quigley reports that the embalming was a 'complete failure' and the body rapidly decomposed. The detailed wiki article plastination indicates that there is a lot more to the process than soaking a corpse with volatile chemicals. Pichiciago (talk) 08:59, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

According to this account Nuzzi publicly retracted his earlier statements that he had used 'an entirely new process' "The dismay of Vatican dignitaries and other people who had seen the dead pontiff's body deteriorate by the hour was reflected in the newspapers. The archiater and his assistant, Dr. Nuzzi, felt compelled to hold a press conference to discuss their embalming method. Pope Pius XII's remains had been preserved in the manner the body of Jesus was treated after His crucifixion, Dr. Galeazzi Lisi explained with his habitual blandness; the dead pontiff was sprinkled with aromatic substances and wrapped into a winding sheet - 'there were no injections, no surgery, no evisceration'. Early Christians and such historic figures such as Charlemagne had been embalmed in the same fashion, a method that might be described as 'aromatic osmosis', the archiater said eruditely. Dr. Nuzzi, who claimed to have developed the technique, declared it was a rediscovery of what had been practiced many centuries ago." Thanks for raising this interesting case - perhaps it deserves to be referenced in the Mummification article. Pichiciago (talk) 09:18, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for your attention Pichiciago but as the article predates the death of Pope Pius XII there is no mention of that case.The article specifically concerns the preservation of soft tissues and whole organs and especially to preserve the architectural appearance thereof.Among the pictures of items prepared by Nuzzi are: a muscle preserved in silicate(possibly a gluteus),the kidney of a fetus,the tubular section of a kidney,cutaneous tissue and the spiroidal elastic fibres of aponeurosis(preserved with aniline).Unrelated to Nuzzi's work there is also a picture of a hand set on a background made of parts of liver and brain matter,mummified by Efisio Marini,a contemporary of Napoleon III. As the article concerns the preservation of individual organs and of their architectural appearance using resins of synthetic origin,this seems to me to be rather similar to the plastination process,where separate parts of the body are treated as such. In the case of Pope Pius XII it is likely that the respect required towards the body of a pontiff restricted the kind of treatment that could be administered to the cadaver. I would like to show,reference or publish the article online. Is there a way for me to do so,and without infringing copyright laws?Brutaldeluxe (talk) 20:39, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

It would be OK to cite the article & quote from it, but if it isn't published anywhere online you can't link to it - which is a pity because it sounds interesting. (Linking to copyrighted material in wikipedia is OK) see Copyright. You could add the reference to the "Mummification" and "Embalming" wiki articles, and the "Plastination" page also has an 'other types of plastination' section, which describes older attempts at tissue preservation with chemicals. It doesn't really belong on this page here, because it's not 'about' Gunther von Hagens, and there's no page about Nuzzi (but maybe you could start one!).

I doubt this process threatens the patents for plastination - because it doesn't include the vacuum impregnation and chemical exchange mechanisms that characterise that process, however it is an interesting part of the history of anatomical preservation and deserves to be recorded somewhere. On the copyright issue I'm no expert, but since the article is more than 60 years old I doubt anyone is going to cry foul if you publish it somewhere. Pichiciago (talk) 12:40, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

Executed Chinese prisoners?
An article in Salon.com mentions that bullet holes were discovered in the heads of two Chinese corpses displayed by von Hagens leading to accusations that he has processed the bodies of executed Chinese prisoners. Anybody want to add it? --AStanhope 13:31, 5 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Here's corroboration... --AStanhope 13:33, 5 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * I added it. However, neither the Spiegel nor BBC claimed that bullet holes had actually been found in Body World exhibits. Salon apparently misinterpreted the BBC article. AxelBoldt 23:07, 5 January 2006 (UTC)

Harassment
"Harassment" is a rather POV word (in that it implies the legal attentions are unwarranted, which isn't for us to say). Did GvH use that term (in some saying we can cite)? If so, I'd change that sentence to read:

 * Citing what he described as "harassment" [cite] of the Bodyworld exhibit, in the Summer of 2004 von Hagens announced that the exhibition would permanently leave Germany. [cite]

If he didn't specifically cite the cause (in a nicely quotable way), perhaps the sentence should read something like:

 * After several legal challenges to the Bodyworlds exhibit in Germany, in the Summer of 2004 von Hagens announced it would be leaving the country permanenty. [cite]

-- Finlay McWalter | Talk 23:16, 5 January 2006 (UTC)

Does Prof. Von Hagens intend to be plastinated?
Any word on what he plans to do with his body when he passes on? --71.222.59.133 06:03, 29 September 2007 (UTC)
 * He plans to section his body and plastinate the sections, using recently developed sectioning techniques, and donate it to several universities as anatomy specimens. In his own words: "That way I will be able to teach at several locations at the same time, something that I cannot do while alive". Dr.K. (talk) 04:13, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

Süddeutsche Zeitung
Is this really a legal accusation. Is there a law that this would be against? Perhaps the title of the section needs to be changed (there is nowhere else for this information to go at present). Thehalfone 10:57, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

Surname and titles
Just to let you know that his surname is von Hagens, not Hagens or Von Hagens. It should only read Von Hagens if it's at the beginning of a sentence. I think correct form is simply to refer to him as "von Hagens" and not "Dr von Hagens" or "Prof von Hagens" (debate over his titles aside).

Secondly, why does it say that von Hagens kept his name even it was that of his first wife? I would have assumed that his first wife adopted his name, not vice versa? 122.106.209.26 (talk) 07:22, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

A: His given name was Liebchen (meaning "Dearest" or "Beloved") which did not appeal to his first wife, so he took her name (von Hagens). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pichiciago (talk • contribs) 16:10, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

Hamburg what?
Can you explain this for me: "Hamburg prosecutors investigated charges of disturbing the dead, based on his photographing plastinated corpses late at night all over Hamburg."

As far as I'm aware, there are not "plastinated corpses late at night all over Hamburg" which would be disturbed if photographed past their bedtime. I'm confused as to what that blip was intending to say to begin with. Informative article however I would recommend being aware of the potential negative slant in your language. Thank you Vdess (talk) 00:01, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

Controversy paragraph order
Hello, I think the paragraphs in the Controversy section should be moved so that they are in chronological order, instead of the current 2004...2002...2005 arrangement. Thank you, Loves  Macs  (talk) 16:35, 17 November 2008 (UTC)

Birthplace: Kalisch vs Kalisz
Von Hagens' birthplace should probably be given as Skalmierzyce, Kalisz, Poland rather than Skalmierzyce, Kalisch, Poland. Kalisch is the german form of the name. Though von Hagens' was born just before the end of the war, I'm not sure if using the occupant name of the voivodship is appropriate (I'm Polish, and it kind of offended me). If the consensus is different though, then Skalmierzyce should be given in the german form of Skalmierschütz. 77.114.20.229 (talk) 17:04, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

On Body Worlds leaving Germany
I have not found substantiation of this statement

"After several legal challenges to the Body Worlds exhibit in Germany, in the Summer of 2004 von Hagens announced it would be leaving the country."

Rather - I found a statement from 2004 indicating that following the resolution of the legal challenges Gunther von Hagens was inspired to bring Body Worlds to Germany again:

Gunther von Hagens: “Ich bin erleichtert, dass ich nicht verurteilt worden bin. So kann ich mich jetzt wieder voll und ganz der Plastinationsforschung und dem Plastinarium in Guben widmen. Der Ausgang des Prozesses bestärkt mich in dem Entschluss, die Ausstellung KÖRPERWELTEN wieder in Deutschland zu zeigen.”

In English

“I am relieved that I was not convicted. Now I can dedicate myself again completely to Plastination and to the Plastinarium in Guben. The end of the legal process encourages me in the resolution to show the exhibition BODY WORLDS in Germany again." Tigriscuniculus (talk) 08:54, 4 December 2008 (UTC)

Where does this guy get all these money....
to employ 350 people in 4 countries and keep a constant supply of bodies? Shouldn't wikipedia investigate his financial dealings as reported in the press? Is he rich or something? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.71.209.123 (talk) 20:38, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

 * The bodies are donations, he doesn't buy them 122.106.208.156 (talk) 08:07, 18 September 2009 (UTC)

 * On the new show Crucifixion, Channel 4, UK it mentioned he's a multi millionare through his method. But yes they're donations. The article may need updating to a lot of the things discussed on the show 81.100.31.182 (talk) 14:21, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

Pizza?
I found the mentioning of his favourite food being pizza to seem rather random or out of place. Especially seeing as there was a typo in it (which i fixed), I think it should either be verified or removed. = —Preceding unsigned comment added by 116.90.73.160 (talk) 03:07, 13 September 2010 (UTC)

Laboratory location
"Concealed lab behind a movable staircase"? Uh-huh, right. Think anyone can verify that with credible sources? —Preceding unsigned comment added by ZhouChee (talk • contribs) 07:12, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Copy from here: Hey (User:Dr.K.),

a long time ago, you added some details to this article, including some weird stuff about a hidden laboratory and a section that is surely out of date by today, on what he was "currently" working on seven years ago. The cited website is dead. Do you have an idea on how to salvage this? In the current version, this section has become much shorter and my instinct suggests to just delete it... Greetings, --Xario (talk) 13:16, 17 August 2015 (UTC)}}
 * Something he was working on eight years ago can still be included in the article by changing the tense. As far as the link it can be partially retrieved via the Internet archive and I fixed it at the article. The video doesn't work but the website and the date have been archived. Also the fact he kept a secret lab behind a mobile staircase is included in the video. This was also a TV appearance and can be included in the TV appearance section. In any case, this discussion should take place at the article talk if there is some reason to be discussed with the wider community. Δρ.Κ. λόγος14:52, 17 August 2015 (UTC)
 * Thx! The talk page has a question concerning the lab since 2010 with no reaction, so I thought, I'd ask you directly. I am now going to copy our dialogue there, because while the internet archive is a good idea, it doesn't really help that much, does it? I find this lab thing very odd and haven't found anything else about it... --Xario (talk)

End of copy. --Xario (talk) 20:53, 17 August 2015 (UTC)

 * The citation is very specific. It is the Daily Planet episode from 25 May 2007. In it while the narrator talks about the secret lab, von Hagens moves an iron staircase and reveals the door of the lab. It is an old episode but perhaps it can be retrieved by someone. Btw, I hadn't seen the comment from 2010. Δρ.Κ. λόγοςπράξις 22:07, 17 August 2015 (UTC)

 * What do you know. Here is the video on youtube. Staircase is at 5:17. Δρ.Κ. λόγοςπράξις 22:24, 17 August 2015 (UTC)
 * Awesome. I added it to the article as a second ref with the time mark. Guess it shows how "unique" GvH is... Thousand thanx! --Xario (talk) 08:54, 18 August 2015 (UTC)
 * Glad to be of help . I agree. von Hagens is a very interesting man. Best regards. Δρ.Κ. λόγοςπράξις 18:13, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

Request for Comments
There is an RfC on the question of using "Religion: None" vs. "Religion: None (atheist)" in the infobox on this and other similar pages.

The RfC is at Template talk:Infobox person.

Please help us determine consensus on this issue. --Guy Macon (talk) 21:04, 25 April 2015 (UTC)

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Whitewashing
It seems von Hagens' PR team has a hand in this article (probably not uncommon for multimillionaires on Wikipedia). The lede is especially curious to me "The sourcing of biological specimens for his exhibits has been controversial, but he insists that informed consent was given before death of donors, and extensive documentation of this has been made available.", with the claim about extensive documentation, while being true, seeking to play down the fact he was unable to actually name his sources for many of the corpses and a DER SPIEGEL investigation found him to be using executed Chinese prisoners. --RRorg (talk) 16:43, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

Compare Frederik Ruysch
I kept running into this fellow while I was trying to recall the name of Frederik Ruysch, whose story is quite similar but separated by a few hundred years. It would have saved me a lot of trouble if he had been mentioned in a 'see-also' section. Does this seem justifiable given how similar their work is? --Pish1le (talk) 05:54, 2 August 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:Gunther von Hagens


text:
Lake Tianchi Monster

Lake Tianchi Monster is the name given to what is said to be a lake monster that lives in Heaven Lake (known as Cheonji in Korean) located in the peak of Baekdu Mountain within the Baekdu-daegan and Changbai mountain ranges encompassing Jilin Province of China and Ryanggang Province of North Korea. According to Beijing Youth Daily, an estimated 20 monsters were reported, however "scientists are skeptical that any large creature would be able to survive in the lake given its recent history of volcanic activity", and skeptics say "it's all in the imagination, or just a floating volcanic rock".

Sightings
The first reported sighting was in 1903. It was claimed that a large buffalo-like creature attacked three people, but was shot six times. The monster then retreated under the water.

In 21 to 23 August 1962, a person using a telescope reportedly saw two of the monsters chasing each other in water. More than a hundred people reported the sightings.

More recent reports describe the monster as having a human-like head attached to a 1.5 m neck. It is said to have a white ring around the bottom of its neck, and the rest of its skin is grey and smooth.

In 2007, Zhuo Yongsheng, a Chinese TV reporter said he had shot a 20-minute video of six unidentified creatures in the volcanic lake on 6 September. He later sent still photos to Xinhua's Jilin provincial bureau. According to a news report one of these showed the six "Nessies" swimming in parallel in three pairs. Another one of them featured the animals closer together, leaving circular ripples on the lake surface.

Zhuo said he had seen the six seal-like, finned creatures swimming and frolicking in the lake for an hour and a half, before they disappeared around 7:00 a.m. "They could swim as fast as yachts and at times they would all disappear in the water. It was impressive to see them all acting at exactly the same pace, as if someone was giving orders," he said. "Their fins—or maybe wings—were longer than their bodies."

In popular culture
The Mountain Goats' 2008 album, Heretic Pride features the song, "Tianchi Lake" about the monster: "Backstroking on the surface, moonlight on its face / Floats the Tianchi monster, staring into space."

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Lake Tianchi Monster


text:
Scottish Government

The Scottish Government (Riaghaltas na h-Alba, ) is the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution. Its areas for responsibility of decision making and domestic policy in the country include the economy, education, healthcare, justice and the legal system, rural affairs, housing, the crown estate, the environment, the fire service, equal opportunities, the transportation network, and tax, amongst others.

The Scottish Government consists of the Scottish Ministers, which is used to describe their collective legal functions. The Scottish Government is accountable to the Scottish Parliament, which was also created by the Scotland Act 1998 with the first minister appointed by the monarch following a proposal by the Parliament. The responsibilities of the Scottish Parliament fall over matters that are not reserved in law to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Ministers are appointed by the first minister with the approval of the Scottish Parliament and the monarch from among the members of the Parliament. The Scotland Act 1998 makes provision for ministers and junior ministers, referred to by the current administration as Cabinet secretaries and ministers, in addition to two law officers: the lord advocate and the solicitor general for Scotland. Collectively the Scottish Ministers and the Civil Service staff that support the Scottish Government are formally referred to as the Scottish Administration.

History

In 1885, many domestic policy functions relating to Scotland were brought into the responsibility of the Scottish Office, a department of the Government of the United Kingdom which was headed by a Secretary for Scotland, later the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Following the 1997 referendum on devolution, many of the functions of the Secretary of State for Scotland were transferred to the Scottish Ministers, accountable to a devolved Scottish Parliament.

The first Scottish Executive was formed by First Minister Donald Dewar as a coalition between the Scottish Labour Party and the Scottish Liberal Democrats. During this period, ministerial appointees were divided into ministers and deputy ministers. The Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition continued under subsequent First Ministers Henry McLeish and Jack McConnell. Following the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, Alex Salmond headed a Scottish National Party administration until his resignation in 2014 and the appointment of his former Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Since 2007, the Scottish Executive has used the name Scottish Government. The change of name was later recognised in United Kingdom legislation by the Scotland Act 2012. In 2001, former First Minister Henry McLeish had proposed such a change, but experienced some opposition.

At the same time that the Scottish Government began to use its new name, a new emblem was adopted. It replaced the use of a version of the Royal Arms with the Flag of Scotland.

Parliament
The Scottish Government is separate from the Scottish Parliament, with the parliament being made of 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament elected by the electorate of Scotland during Scottish Parliamentary elections. The Scottish Parliament acts as the law making body for devolved matters which fall under the responsibility of the Scottish Government. The work of the Scottish Government, including proposed legislation, policies and activities, is scrutinised by parliament through a variety of different measures such as parliamentary debates, parliament committees and parliamentary questions to the appropriate Cabinet Secretary or government minister.

National Performance Framework
The Scottish Government produces a National Performance Framework which sets out the government's priorities, objectives and overall vision for the country following election. It serves as a means for the Scottish Government to highlight national priorities and provides an opportunity for the government to evaluate its progress towards achieving the objectives as set out in the National Performance Framework.

Similarly, the Programme for Government is published annually by the incumbent Scottish Government, and it highlights the governments policies, proposed actions and legislation that the government will seek to implement in the forthcoming year.

The Scottish Government introduced the first National Performance Framework (NPF) in 2007. This framework measures "how Scotland is doing" in eleven National Outcome areas including health, poverty, environment and education, along with offering a portrait of "the kind of Scotland" that government wishes to create. Each of the National Outcomes is measured by a number of Indicators and associated data sets. The National Outcomes are that people:
 * grow up loved, safe and respected so that they realise their full potential
 * live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe
 * are creative and their vibrant and diverse cultures are expressed and enjoyed widely
 * have a globally competitive, entrepreneurial, inclusive and sustainable economy
 * are well educated, skilled and able to contribute to society
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The majority of bills proposed to the Scottish Parliament come from the Scottish Government. The process for introducing bills to the parliament for consideration and debate commences with the government publishing and formulating policy. A bill will only become law in Scotland under Scots law once it has been approved by a majority of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, where it will then be put to the Monarch to receive royal assent. Once royal assent has been given by the Monarch, the bill becomes a law of the Scottish Parliament and becomes embedded in Scots law.

Once a bill is successful in becoming law, the Scottish Government has the responsibility to ensure subordinate legislation, which often comes in the form of Scottish statutory instruments, is implemented accordingly so that the new law begins to work and that any additional measures and features can be added in order to make the law work and ensure its effective implementation and operation.

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The Scottish Government publishes statistics based on the majority of public life in Scotland, including, but not limited to, education, the economy, healthcare, population, death, marriages and births, as well as living standards. The government uses such statistics in order to evaluate its work against the data to gauge how successful, or unsuccessful, government policy is and whether it is having the desired impact.

In order to ensure accountability, the Scottish Government publishes information for public consumption in order to ensure the work of the Scottish Government is accessible and transparent for the public. It commits itself to publishing information in areas relating to the spending of public money and creating a breakdown of public spending, the work of senior civil servants in the Scottish Government, including their job titles and salaries, as well as government assessment against objectives in order to highlight how well the government is doing in achieving the targets and objectives it creates through the National Performance Framework and Programme for Government. Additionally, the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 gives the public the right to ask for information relating to the Scottish Government, as well as other public sectors.

The Scottish Government

The Scottish Government consists of a first minister, deputy first minister, nine cabinet secretaries and eighteen other government ministers. Cabinet secretaries are senior members of the Scottish Cabinet, whilst the remaining government ministers are junior ministers of the government and act as a deputy to the corresponding cabinet secretary of that department, and support the duties and functions of the cabinet secretary. As junior ministers of the government, ministers do not usually attend the Scottish Cabinet; only the cabinet secretary attends.

Additionally, the Scottish Government is supported by a permanent secretary, two law officers – the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland – who serve as the chief legal advisers to the government, as well as several other government officials, personal secretaries and advisers to the Scottish Government and the first minister.

First Minister

The head of the Scottish Government is the First Minister of Scotland who also serves as the Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland whilst in office as first minister. The first minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy. Additional functions of the first minister include promoting and representing Scotland in an official capacity, at home and abroad. The first minister is one of only a few individuals permitted to fly the Royal Banner of the Royal Arms of Scotland in their capacity as Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland.

The first minister is nominated by the Scottish Parliament by fellow MSPs, and is formally appointed by the monarch. Members of the Scottish Cabinet and junior ministers of the Scottish Government as well as the Scottish law officers, are appointed by the first minister. As head of the Scottish Government, the first minister is directly accountable to the Scottish Parliament for their actions and the actions of the wider government and cabinet. The Scottish Parliament nominates one of its members to be appointed as First Minister by the King. The First Minister appoints additional Ministers to a variety of ministerial portfolios. More senior ministers, known as Cabinet Secretaries, collectively form a cabinet with the First Minister. The Scottish law officers, the Lord Advocate and Solicitor, can be appointed without being a member of the Scottish Parliament; however, they are subject to the Parliament's approval and scrutiny. Law officers are also appointed by the King on the recommendation of the first minister.

The office is held by John Swinney of the Scottish National Party since 7 May 2024. The first minister is supported by the Deputy First Minister of Scotland. The deputy first minister deputises for the first minister during periods of absence, such as attending overseas visits and international engagements, and may act on the first ministers behalf during First Minister's Questions in the Scottish Parliament. Whilst serving as deputy first minister, the office holder holds another cabinet position. Currently, Kate Forbes serves as Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic as well as deputy first minister.

Permanent Secretary and civil service

The Permanent Secretary is the Scottish Government's most senior civil servant. They lead the administration's strategic board as well as directly support the First Minister and cabinet and is the accountable officer with responsibility to ensure that the government's money and resources are used effectively and properly. The current permanent secretary is John-Paul Marks, who succeeded Leslie Evans in January 2022.

The Permanent Secretary is a member of the UK Civil Service, and therefore takes part in the UK-wide Permanent Secretaries Management Group under the Cabinet Secretary who performs a number of similar functions in relation to the UK Government. The Scottish Government's Permanent Secretary is responsible to the Scottish Ministers in terms of policy.

In addition to the Scottish Ministers, the Scottish Government is supported by a number of officials drawn from the UK Civil Service. They are collectively referred to as the Scottish Administration in the Scotland Act 1998. According to 2012 reports, there are 16,000 civil servants working in core Scottish Government directorates and agencies.

The civil service is a matter reserved to the British parliament at Westminster (rather than devolved to Holyrood): Scottish Government civil servants work within the rules and customs of His Majesty's Civil Service, but serve the devolved government rather than British government.

A total of eight director–generals head Scotland's civil service department. Each director–general is responsible for a number of directorates and agencies of the Scottish Government and are directly accountable for the legislation proposals, as well as implementing government policy into practice. Public bodies (non–ministerial departments of the Scottish Government) are the responsibility of the senior civil servants as opposed to Scottish Government ministers.

Cabinet

The Scottish Cabinet collectively takes responsibility for policy coordination within the Scottish Government. It is supported by the Cabinet Secretariat, based at St Andrew's House. While the Scottish Parliament is in session, Cabinet meets weekly. Normally meetings are held on Tuesday afternoons in Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister. Members of the Scottish Cabinet receive blue despatch boxes for their use while in office.

There are currently two sub-committees of cabinet:

 * Cabinet Sub-Committee on Legislation
 * Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) Cabinet Sub-Committee

Law officers

The Lord Advocate is the principal legal adviser for both the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland on civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament. The Lord Advocate provides legal advice to the government on its responsibilities, policies, legislation and the legal implications of any proposals brought forward by the government. The Lord Advocate is responsible for all legal advice which is given to the Scottish Government. The Lord Advocate serves as the ministerial head of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, and as such, is the chief public prosecutor for Scotland with all prosecutions on indictment being conducted by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in the Lord Advocate's name on behalf of the Monarch. The Lord Advocate serves as the head of the systems of prosecutions in Scotland and is responsible for the investigation of all sudden, suspicious, accidental and unexplained deaths which occur within Scotland.

The officeholder is one of the Great Officers of State of Scotland. The current Lord Advocate is Dorothy Bain KC, who was nominated by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in June 2021. The Lord Advocate is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the incumbent First Minister of Scotland, with the agreement of each of the 129 members of the Scottish Parliament.

The Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Scottish Government on Scots law. They are also responsible for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service which together constitute the Criminal Prosecution Service in Scotland. Together with the Lord Advocate, the Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the senior legal advisors to the government in Scotland. Whilst the Solicitor General for Scotland supports the Lord Advocate in their functions, the Solicitor General may also exercise their statutory and common law powers when necessary. The incumbent Solicitor General for Scotland is Ruth Charteris KC.

Directorates
The Scottish Government is divided into 55 directorates which execute government policy in specified areas. Unlike in the British government, senior ministers do not lead government departments and have no direct role in the operation of the directorates.

The directorates are grouped together into eight "Directorates General", each run by a senior civil servant who is titled a "Director-General". As of February 2024, there are eight Directorates General:

 * Communities Directorates
 * Corporate Directorates
 * Economy Directorates
 * Education and Justice Directorates
 * Health and Social Care Directorates
 * Net Zero Directorates
 * Exchequer Directorates
 * Strategy and External Affairs Directorates

Supporting these directorates are a variety of other corporate service teams and professional groups.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service serves as an independent prosecution service in Scotland, and is a ministerial department of the Scottish Government. It is headed by the Lord Advocate, who is responsible for prosecution, along with the procurators fiscal, under Scots law.

Strategic Board
The strategic board is composed of the permanent secretary, the seven directors-general, two chief advisers (scientific and economic) and four non-executive directors. The board is responsible for providing support to the government through the permanent secretary, and is the executive of the Scottish civil service.

Executive Agencies
To deliver its work, there are 9 executive agencies established by ministers as part of government departments, or as departments in their own right, to carry out a discrete area of work. These include, for example, the Scottish Prison Service and Transport Scotland. Executive agencies are staffed by civil servants.

There are two non-ministerial departments that form part of the Scottish administration, and therefore the devolved administration, but answer directly to the Scottish Parliament rather than to ministers: these are the General Register Office for Scotland and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

Public Bodies
The Scottish Government is also responsible for a large number of non-departmental public bodies. These include executive NDPBs (e.g. Scottish Enterprise); advisory NDPBs (e.g. the Scottish Law Commission); tribunals (e.g. the Children's Panel and Additional Support Needs Tribunals for Scotland); and nationalised industries (e.g. Scottish Water). These are staffed by public servants, rather than civil servants.

The Scottish Government is also responsible for some other public bodies that are not classed as non-departmental public bodies, such as NHS Boards, Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments or HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland.

Offices
The headquarters building of the Scottish Government is St Andrew's House, which is located on Calton Hill in Edinburgh. Some other government directorates are based at Victoria Quay and Saughton House in Edinburgh, and Atlantic Quay in Glasgow. The head offices of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Lord Advocate's Chambers are at Chambers Street in central Edinburgh.

There are numerous other Edinburgh properties occupied by the Scottish Government. Both the Scottish Fiscal Commission and the Scottish Human Rights Commission are based in the old Governor's House on the site of the former Calton Gaol, next door to St. Andrew's House on Regent Road. Other offices are scattered around central Edinburgh, including Bute House on Charlotte Square, the official residence of the first minister.

All Ministers and officials have access to Scotland House at Victoria Embankment in London, when necessary. Dover House on Whitehall is now used by the Scotland Office and the devolved Scottish Ministers no longer use it.

The Scottish Government also operates local offices and specialist facilities around Scotland, for example those used by Rural Payments & Services and Marine Scotland.

International network
The Scottish Government has a European Union representative office, located at Rond-Point Robert Schuman in Brussels, Belgium, which forms a part of the United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Union. The Scottish Government also maintains offices within the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., as well as the British Embassy in Berlin and has accredited representatives within the British Embassy in Beijing.

Scotland has a network of eight international offices across the world located in:

 * Beijing (Scottish Government Beijing Office, British Embassy)
 * Berlin (Scottish Government Berlin Office)
 * Brussels (Scotland House Brussels)
 * Copenhagen (Scottish Government Copenhagen Office)
 * Dublin (Scottish Government Dublin Office, British Embassy)
 * Ottawa (Scottish Government Ottawa Office, British High Commission)
 * Paris (Scottish Government Office, British Embassy)
 * Washington DC (Scottish Government Washington DC Office, British Embassy)

Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Scottish Ministers broadly follow those of the Scottish Parliament provided for in the Scotland Act 1998 and subsequent UK legislation. Where pre-devolution legislation of the UK Parliament provided that certain functions could be performed by UK Government ministers, these functions were transferred to the Scottish Ministers if they were within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament.

Functions which were devolved under the Scotland Act 1998 included:
 * Healthcare
 * Education – pre-school, primary, secondary, further, higher and lifelong education, as well as educational training policy and programmes
 * Justice – civil justice, civil law and procedure, courts, criminal justice, criminal law and procedure, debt and bankruptcy, family law, legal aid, the legal profession, and property law
 * Most aspects of transport – setting drink and drug-driving limits, speed limits, some aspects of railways, including Scottish passenger rail franchises (ScotRail), concessionary travel schemes, cycling, parking, local road pricing, congestion charging, promotion of road safety and road signs
 * Environment – environmental protection policy, climate change, pollution, waste management, water supplies and sewerage, national parks and flood and coastal protection
 * Policing
 * Planning system in Scotland
 * Rural Affairs
 * Housing
 * Agriculture, forestry and fisheries – most aspects of animal welfare, but not including animal testing and research
 * Sport and the arts – Creative Scotland, the National Gallery of Scotland, library and museum collections, the National Museum of Scotland, national performing companies and SportScotland, the national agency for sport
 * Consumer advocacy and advice
 * Tourism – VisitScotland and promotion of major events in Scotland
 * Economic development
 * Freedom of Information (FOI) requests

Subsequently, the Scotland Acts of 2012 and 2016 transferred powers over:
 * Some taxation powers – full control of Income Tax on income earned through employment, Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, Landfill Tax, Aggregates Levy, Air Departure Tax,
 * Drink driving limits
 * Scottish Parliament and local authority elections
 * Some social security powers
 * Crown Estate of Scotland – management of the Crown Estate's economic assets in Scotland
 * Some aspects of the benefits system – Best Start Grant, Carer's Allowance Supplement, Child Disability Payment, Child Winter Heating Assistance, Funeral Support Payment, Universal Credit (although this is remains a reserved benefit, some powers over how it is paid have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament)
 * Some aspects of the energy network in Scotland – renewable energy, energy efficiency and onshore oil and gas licensing
 * Some aspects of equality legislation in Scotland
 * Gaming machine licensing

The 1998 Act also provided for orders to be made allowing Scottish Ministers to exercise powers of UK Government ministers in areas that remain reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Equally the Act allows for the Scottish Ministers to transfer functions to the UK Government ministers, or for particular "agency arrangements". This executive devolution means that the powers of the Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Parliament are not identical.

The most prominent reserved matters that remain under the exclusive control of the Parliament of the United Kingdom are:
 * The Constitution – Acts of Union, The Crown, Devolution Settlement
 * Foreign Policy
 * National Security and Defence
 * Economic policy
 * Immigration and Nationality
 * Trade and industry
 * Energy
 * Most aspects of Social Security
 * Civil Service
 * Consumer rights
 * International Development
 * Copyright
 * Telecommunications and Postal services
 * Broadcasting
 * Reserved taxes
 * Currency
 * Pensions

The members of the Scottish government have substantial influence over legislation in Scotland, putting forward the majority of bills that are successful in becoming Acts of the Scottish Parliament.

title: Scottish Government


text:
Ogopogo

In Canadian folklore, the Ogopogo is a lake monster said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. Some scholars have charted the entity's development from First Nations folklore and widespread water monster folklore motifs. The Ogopogo now plays a role in the commercial symbolism and media representation of the region.

Background
Okanagan Lake is the largest of five inter-connected freshwater fjord lakes in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Named after the First Nations people who first inhabited the area, it was created when melting glaciers flooded a valley 10,000 years ago. It stretches for 127.1 km and has a maximum depth of 232.3 m and an average depth of 75.9 m. Okanagan has frozen over during eight winters in the last 110 years.

The lake monster has been mostly described as being a serpentine creature with smooth dark skin with a large body thicker than a telephone pole and being up to 15 m in length. The monster has said to move at incredible speeds, coiling its body in vertical undulations, and propelling itself with a powerful tail.

Etymology
According to historian Mark M. Orkin, the creature received its name "on a night in 1924 when the strains of an English music-hall song were first heard in the city of Vernon, British Columbia". Orkin cites the following lines from the song:
 * His mother was an earwig,
 * His father was a whale;
 * A little bit of head
 * And hardly any tail—
 * And Ogopogo was his name.

Orkin, however, notes that "A somewhat different form of the song appeared in the Vancouver Province in 1912, August 24, 1926. According to the DC the name was first applied in 1912." Additionally, the creature may sometimes be referred to by the pet name Oggy. Smaller creatures may be referred to as Ogopups.

Native origins
According to Ben Radford, the Ogopogo is "more closely tied to native myths than is any other lake monster." The Secwepemc and Syilx natives regarded the Ogopogo, which they called the Naitaka, as "an evil supernatural entity with great power and ill intent." The word "n'ha-a-itk" has various translations, such as "water-demon", "water god", or "sacred creature of the water". In native lore, Naitaka demanded a live sacrifice for safe crossing of the lake. For hundreds of years, First Nations would sacrifice small animals before entering the water. Oral traditions often described visiting chief Timbasket, who rejected the required sacrifice, denying the existence of the demon. Upon entering the lake on a canoe with his family, Naitaka "whipped up the surface of the lake with his long tail" and the canoe and its occupants were sucked to the bottom of the lake. The Naitaka was often described as using its tail to create fierce storms to drown victims. In 1855, settler John MacDougal claimed that his horses were sucked down into the water, and nearly his canoe before he cut the line.

According to Pat Raphael of the Westbank First Nation, a member nation of the larger Okanagan Nation Alliance, the demonic view of Naitaka came about through miscommunication between Canada's early European settlers and the Syilx/Okanagan people. To the Syilx, it's n ̓x̌ax̌aitkʷ (n-ha-ha-it-koo), a sacred spirit of the lake that protects the valley. The spirit was said to dwell in caves under Rattlesnake Island (a.k.a. Monster Island) or adjacent to Squally Point.

Alleged sightings
Susan Allison's 1872 sighting was the first detailed Ogopogo account from a white settler. She was the first non-native person to live in the region, establishing relations with the native peoples.

While driving on Highway 97 in 1968, Art Folden noticed something moving in the lake. He pulled off the road and filmed what he claimed to be footage of the alleged creature, showing a large wake moving across the water. Folden estimated that the Ogopogo was 100 m offshore. A computer analysis of the footage concluded it was a solid, three-dimensional object. Folden noticed "something large and lifelike"; in the distance out on the calm water and pulled out his home movie camera to capture the object. A 2005 investigation conducted by Benjamin Radford with Joe Nickell and John Kirk for the National Geographic Channel TV show Is It Real?, utilized surveyor boats to find the actual distance of the alleged creature from the shore. They found that it was much closer to shore than originally thought, resulting in a reduction of actual size and speed. They concluded that it was likely a real animal but its size had been greatly overestimated and that it was probably a water fowl, otter, or beaver too far away to be identified.

In the 1980s, a local tourism agency offered a cash reward for a proven sighting of the beast. Greenpeace announced that the beast must be filmed and not captured; the Ogopogo was listed as an endangered species. In 1980, around 50 tourists watched an alleged Ogopogo for about 45 minutes off a beach at Kelowna. Larry Thal, a tourist from Vancouver, shot some 8mm film, albeit for only 10 seconds. Some skeptics have suggested that it was only a pair of otters. In 1989, John Kirk reportedly saw an animal which was 10.7 to 12.2 m long and consisted of "five sleek jet-black humps" with a lashing tail. He believed it to be traveling at around 40 km per hour.

Another sighting in 1989, occurred in an area of Log Booms near Bear Creek where Ken Chaplin, and his 78 year old father staked out the area with a video camera. He caught what he described a slim serpent like creature measuring up to 15ft in length swimming around 75 feet from their canoe. The creature slapped its tail before diving with Ken stating if it had hit a man it would have killed him. Ken came back to the location a few days later with his daughter, and caught the same creature again. The sighting was cataloged on magazines, newspapers, and appeared in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. However after being analyzed by local biologists including, Robert Lincoln stated that they overestimated the animal. Lincoln concluded it was a beaver by the behavior, and shape of the animal. Chris Bull who ran the local fishing department would later state it was possibly meant to grab attention from the community.

On July 24, 1992, Paul Demara videotaped "something or some things" that were "traveling just below the surface of the water at a fairly good speed, estimated at 8 km per hour." A boat towing a water skier suddenly appears in frame and the skier falls into the water near the object. Within several minutes, DeMara made two other videotapes, each showing what appeared to be multiple animals in the water. Benjamin Radford suggested that the creature was only several otters. In 2005, FBI video specialist Grant Fredricks concluded that the object "was very consistent with debris from a fallen tree in the water," noting that it "very slowly bobs up and down." He also pointed out that the alleged creature did not react to the water skier, and the skier did not seem alarmed.

In August 2008, a local photographer Sean Viloria and his girl friend Jessica Weagers were sitting by the lake shore of Peachland as she noticed a disturbance in the water. Sean snapped one photograph, but his camera had died, and wasn't able to capture more. Sean never publicized it, but described it as having black hump like ridges. Eight days later south of the original sighting, Sean pulled his car over to look at the Highway 97 widening project, and Jessica spotted another disturbance. He snapped 11 photographs of the unknown object as it was surfacing near a boat. (However Sean has only shown 3-4 images to the public.) One of them shows a tail or neck like object surfacing the water while the others show the back and head of the creature. Sean estimated the creature being 5.5 - 6 m long estimated from the boat in the background. The photos were examined by many local experts. Chris Bull concluded it didn't look like any known animal of the lake. A biologist noted the black/red texture was possibly a different creature or pollution. Members of the show Monster Quest also examined the photographs and found no evidence of tampering. The photos wouldn't be shown to television until 2009 on Monster Quest's episode Lake Demons. Viloria would end up making a little Ogopogo statue off of a Plesiosaur.

In 2011, a cell phone video captured two dark shapes in the water. A suggested explanation is that the video shows two logs. Radford analyzed the video for Discovery News and concluded that “The video quality is poor and the camera is shaky, but a closer look at the 30-second video reveals that, instead of one long object, there are actually two shorter ones, and they seem to be floating next to each other at slightly different angles. There are no humps, nor head, nor form; only two long, darkish, more or less straight forms that appear to be a few dozen feet long. In short, they look a lot like floating logs, which would not be surprising since Okanagan Lake has tens of thousands of logs harvested by the timber industry floating just under the lake's surface."

In September 2018, there were reportedly three sightings, one of which was described as a giant snake that was about 15 m long.

In June 2024, there was a reported sighting which was described as a long snake in the water.

Explanations
According to skeptical author Benjamin Radford, contemporary sightings of Ogopogo were most likely misidentifications of water fowl, otter, or beaver, adding, "[the First Nations stories] were not referring to a literal lake monster like Ogopogo, but instead to a legendary water spirit. Though the supernatural N'ha-a-itk of the Okanagan Valley Indians are long gone, a decidedly less fearsome — and more biological — beast, whose exact form is a matter of debate, has replaced it.". Joe Nickel and Benjamin Radford propose an origin in claims of "sightings" in wildlife in the region. Otters often swim in a row and their motion can often be mistaken for one continuous serpent. Radford pointed to John Kirk's 1989 sighting as likely being a group of otters.

Sturgeon are often mistaken as lake monsters, but their existence in Okanagan is unclear. There is currently an unclaimed $10,000 dollar reward for concrete evidence of sturgeon in Okanagan.

Benjamin Radford has pointed to waterspouts as a likely source of inspiration for First Nation myths. Waterspouts are fairly common on Okanagan Lake, often forming when air temperatures drop and the lake still has a relatively warm water temperature.

Appearances in other media
The Ogopogo is referenced in the classic Super Nintendo role playing game Final Fantasy IV, being one of the superbosses in the game's final dungeon in the Moon's Core, guarding the legendary Masamune katana. The creature manifests as a more deadly incarnation of the summoned monster Leviathan, and attacks the party with Double Big Wave/Double Tsunami.

The Ogopogo is referenced by Number 21 in the 4th episode of the 4th season of the Venture Bros, Return to Malice. He claims that it is a plesiosaur, and that it is real, compared to Champ and Nessie, which are a picture of a log, and a toy submarine with a head made of plastic wood, respectively.

title: Ogopogo