Can pay, won’t pay? Why small businesses aren’t just a free overdraft
By Colin Borland, head of external affairs for the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland It’s not a lack of profitability which kills businesses, it’s a lack of cash. And, with costs going up and...
View ArticleHow path network investment provides a route out of recession
By John Knox Our increasingly wet and stormy weather is eroding Scotland’s 10,000 miles of pathways, according to Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). So how about a job creation scheme to repair and...
View ArticleCockapoos, Dolly Parton cows… what about native Scottish breeds?
By Elizabeth McQuillan Domestic livestock and pets have been propagated and genetically fiddled with throughout the centuries in order to fulfil the criteria of us humans. Whether it’s line-breeding...
View ArticleFriday Song: Malcolm Chisholm (Loves To Resign)
The Sensational Alex Salmond Band have, for your delight and delectation, produced this video for their song Malcolm Chisholm (Loves To Resign), to promote their new album. Donate to us: support...
View ArticleWeir’s Week: AON anonymity and last-corner mishaps
By Stewart Weir Saturday Were we not all subjected to horror stories as kids (and maybe even in later life) of what would happen to us if we misbehaved? How we wouldn’t get anything from Santa, or the...
View ArticleCuts could endanger nuclear safety, warns MoD report
By Rob Edwards The safety of the nuclear bombs and submarines on the Clyde is being increasingly jeopardised by the UK government’s spending cuts, a Ministry of Defence (MoD) report has warned. The...
View ArticleThe Crowe road to Duncarron: Gladiator star visits Stirlingshire fort
By Elizabeth McQuillan A tribe of large, barbate and rather daunting Clanranald men – along with a mushy big mastiff my daughter nicknames Fang – stand sentinel around the 500-metre stretch of palisade...
View ArticleOne referendum or two?
Scottish secretary Michael Moore sparked a furious reaction from the Scottish government today when he suggested that a second referendum might be needed to secure Scottish independence. Mr Moore told...
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Confessions of a self-help junkie
By Nick Thorpe I am in recovery from a long-standing addiction. While others may secretly gorge on chocolate or swig from a bottle hidden in the top drawer, I head furtively for the Mind Body Spirit...
View ArticleInnovative business solutions at the Scottish Technology Showcase
Today sees the annual Scottish Technology Showcase at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow. Around 120 firms will have their latest products or research on display, and up to 1,500...
View ArticleAll of Scotland’s rivers at once: kayaking the Sun Kosi
By Chris Oliver The Sun Kosi river in Nepal or, "River of Gold", is rated one of the top ten kayaking river trips in the world. It rises near Shisha Pangma in Tibet and runs eastwards, draining the...
View ArticleSelf-determination, except for viewers in Scotland
I can see where Michael Moore is coming from with his suggestion that a Scottish independence referendum would need to be ratified by a second one, organised by Westminster. The Scottish secretary has...
View ArticleDoes more exercise and a healthy diet decrease erectile dysfunction?
By Elizabeth McQuillan A randomised controlled trial on the effect of lifestyle changes in obese men has shown that healthy lifestyle factors are associated with the maintenance of erectile function....
View ArticleMoths of invention: seven species you don’t often see in Scotland
For the first time since 1946 – and for the first time ever in Scotland – one of these little blighters, the Conformist moth, has been found. It was enticed into a light trap at the Insh Marshes RSPB...
View ArticleOutflanking summer allergies – ten ways to ease the sneeze
By Elizabeth McQuillan The lack of warmth and sunshine of late in Scotland will be a blessing for the one-in-five people who suffer the curse of pollen-related allergies. Not restricted to high summer,...
View ArticleIs Alex Salmond the new Tony Blair?
It is slowly dawning on many at Holyrood that the more parliamentary power you have, the less you need it. Tony Blair was criticised during the early years of his premiership for developing so-called...
View ArticleWordwatch: toxic
By Betty Kirkpatrick Toxic, which dates from the middle of the 17th century, started life as a straightforward, if dangerous, one-meaning word and it remained that way for a long time. That meaning was...
View ArticleFancy going to dram school? New online whisky course starts in Elgin
The whisky industry is worth billions of pounds a year to the Scottish economy. Much of that comes from sales of the amber nectar itself, but there is also a well-developed tourist trail. This...
View ArticleSaddle up and twiddle those gears – it’s time for TweedLove
The Scottish Borders is an area which has gone out of its way to attract cyclists of all ages and levels of ability. Much of this is a direct result of Scotland’s “open access to the countryside"...
View ArticleUseful Gaelic word: cèilidh
cèilidh – party/gathering Listen to the pronunciation guide This is one of the Gaelic words which has come into English. In older books it is spelt céilidh, with an acute accent, and this older...
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