Apply mouse dung and stand well back – 18th-century herbal first aid
By Elizabeth McQuillan Things have moved on a bit when it comes to medical care, but we should not forget that modern medicine utilises many of the same plants and herbs that have been the staple of...
View ArticleBusiness leaders express concern over poor Scottish growth figures
Business leaders have been expressing concern about the latest Scottish economic growth figures. According to the Scottish government, the economy grew by just by 0.1 per cent during the spring, the...
View Article57 channels and nothing on (well, apart from a sleeping badger)
Chances are it will be getting only a few more viewers than the BBC Parliament channel, but Autumnwatch Live Badgers is worth a look. It’s on one of those new-fangled tucked-away digital channels –...
View ArticleUseful Scots word: wheech
By Betty Kirkpatrick Times may be hard, but every time I go out for a meal in our capital city the restaurant is jam-packed, no matter what day of the week it is and no matter how foul the weather is....
View ArticleVideo: Thrive Business Breakfasts
Thrive Business Breakfasts attract a wide group of firms, from banks to brokers, sole traders to software designers. Their aim is to widen their network of contacts, to build business relationships and...
View ArticleDead Sirte: Gaddafi ‘shot’ after ‘don’t shoot’ plea
What is it with mad dictators and holes in the ground? Iraq’s Saddam Hussein was discovered in an “underground shelter” by American special forces. Now Libya’s Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi...
View ArticleFriday song: Werritty!
The Sensational Alex Salmond Band have produced a foxy video by way of accompaniment to their popular album. Written and performed by Tommy Mackay, Fife comedian of the year, this week's song is...
View ArticleWeir’s Week: a red card, biased BBC coverage and a terrible crash
By Stewart Weir Saturday All we ever hear about in football is technology and the desire to use it to make refereeing decisions right. Proof today that all the technology in the world doesn't...
View ArticleLate-summer cycling and good accommodation in and around Ardgour
It was intended to be the last long ride of the summer – take the ferry from Corran across to Ardgour and follow the quiet road along Loch Linnhe, then turn up Loch Eil with the intention of catching...
View ArticleOpinion: the MoD and radioactivity, at home and abroad
By Bill Wilson ● The Ministry of Defence (MoD) refuses to clean up radioactive pollution in Fife. ● MoD claims with regard to the safety of depleted uranium (DU) are based on an extraordinarily small...
View ArticleIndependence campaign starts with £1 million bequest
A huge bequest of nearly £1 million from Scotland’s former makar Edwin Morgan is to bankroll the SNP’s independence campaign, it has emerged. Angus Robertson MP, director of the independence referendum...
View ArticleCall for ‘creative fund’ to boost Scottish computer games industry
Computer games are important to Scotland’s economy, especially in Tayside. There is a cluster of games companies in Dundee, and Abertay University has established a worldwide reputation for the...
View ArticleVideo: Routes out of prison
Kenny MacAskill, Justice Secretary, is due to speak at major conference tomorrow on the enduring crisis with re-offending in Scotland. Scotland currently imprisons twice as many people as Finland,...
View ArticleThe latest addition to Scotland’s festival calendar: chutney
For Marcus Fergusson of the London Cheese Club it has to be Hot Banana. Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall, though, swears by Hugh’s Gluttony – a relish made by her son Hugh, the celebrity chef. For the...
View ArticleQuestions, questions, questions… are referendums a good thing?
By John Knox Like sparkling wine, referendums are good at first taste but the more you drink, and the more you contemplate them, the less satisfying they become. Take Monday’s vote in the House of...
View ArticleReview: Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra at Linlithgow Arts Guild
By Alex Wood The Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra hit Linlithgow on Saturday with verve and a tight panorama of jazz from the last 90 years. Directed and led by Tommy Smith, the boy from Wester Hailes...
View ArticleOpinion: the citizen, the government and Scotland’s digital future
By Alex Stobart The World Wide Web was conceived around 1989. That makes it just 22 years old. In that time it has transformed the way we share information, but despite the recent explosion of social...
View ArticleGold and silver, doubt and enthusiasm as Cononish mine is approved
Yesterday saw formal approval of the application by an Australia-based mining company, Scotgold Resources, to reopen and extend the Cononish mine west of Tyndrum, with a view to extracting 20,000...
View ArticleVideo: reducing re-offending in Scotland
By Bob Wylie Scotland’s Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, says a new £7.5m fund is evidence of the government’s determination to reduce re-offending in Scotland. He told a criminal justice conference...
View ArticleExports ‘wilting’ as overseas situation undermines Scottish growth
The latest CBI Scotland Industrial Trends Survey shows that exports are wilting as concerns grow over economic and political conditions abroad. The survey expresses fears that the sustained growth in...
View Article