Wrecks, war graves and treasure ships
At over 10,000 miles, Scotland has one of the longest coastlines in Europe. This, coupled with the fierce gales that can spring up out of nowhere, has resulted in thousands of wrecks lying on our...
View ArticleGrim statistics as British military deaths in Afghanistan exceed 350
By Stuart Crawford It sometimes seems that hardly a day goes past without news of another military death in Afghanistan. So much so that we have become, I suspect, almost inured to it. But the...
View ArticleOpinion: What have the SNP ever done for us???
By Mark MacLachlan I was a wee bitty concerned when I was asked to write a piece for The Caledonian Mercury. A dull thud in the back of my head pounded out the question: "Why me?" Paranoia kicked in....
View ArticleAnd the winners are – the two men who wrote the best stories
The story of the Oscars is normally an upset, an across-the-board winner, a teary actress, a pre-Gaga era adventurous choice of outfit or someone (Marlon or Woody) doesn’t show. Gwyneth Paltrow not...
View ArticleNew report casts doubt on Scotland’s role as the ‘Saudi Arabia of renewables’
“Scotland has the potential to become the Saudi Arabia of renewables,” has been the oft-repeated message from the Scottish Government. Ministers have been adamant: Scotland is blessed to have so much...
View ArticleShopping has gone all social media but is it really a bargain?
In his Scottish Technology Forecast a few weeks ago, David Mitchell, the senior research fellow from Ovum, identified a number of world-beating companies to watch in the course of 2011. They included...
View ArticleOpinion: Can Ireland’s economy perform as well as its rugby team?
By John Knox I was surprised to find any Irish supporters at all at Sunday’s rugby international at Murrayfield. I thought they were all bankrupt. But they appeared to be already bouncing back from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Insurance companies dismayed by EU ruling on women drivers
The insurance sector has been reacting to today’s ruling by the European Court of Justice banning gender discrimination when it comes to insurance policies. They believe it will affect two groups in...
View ArticleIrish handed match by poor Scottish tactics and shocking defence
I knew things were bad at Murrayfield, but I didn’t realise how bad until I got the email. “You have been called into the Scotland squad,” the missive declared. My pulse quickened as I opened it....
View ArticleA handy guide to Gaddafi’s Green Book
Muammar al-Gaddafi, the Libyan leader (or dictator, as he has now been accurately but hurriedly re-branded by the Western media) told the BBC’s Middle East editor, Jeremy Bowen, that Bowen didn’t...
View ArticleTrainspotting, the sequel: Will Danny Boyle choose Leith?
There are some films which do not require a sequel – take Weekend at Bernie’s II, for example – but Trainspotting is not one of them. Ever since 2002, when Irvine Welsh wrote a companion piece for...
View ArticleOpinion: Smears, disinformation and depleted uranium
By Bill Wilson Recently I had an article in the Scottish Left Review, also published on a number of websites. It described the horrific situation in Fallujah in Iraq, where women have been advised to...
View ArticleOpinion: the writer speaking out about Rangers fans
By Phil Mac Giolla Bhain A journalist writing about another journalist writing about what other journalists aren’t doing wouldn’t normally interest this journalist… However Roy Greenslade’s blog in the...
View ArticleTha muilleanan ann – is muilleanan ann
Am bi iad iad riaraichte a nis? An dùil? Tha an naidheachd air tighinn a-mach gun do chuir am Mòd ann an Gallaibh £3m ri eaconomaidh na sgìre. Sin airgead nach biodh air tighinn dhan sgìre mura b’ e...
View ArticleClik here to view.
U16 SPORTSassist SE Region Cup semi-final: Haddington 5 – 0 Tynecastle
By Stuart Crawford The last time these two sides met in the Steve Maskrey Cup, Haddington ran out shock winners, scoring two to Tynecastle’s nil. So this encounter in the semi-final of the SE Region...
View ArticleO’Brien’s blast and other great Irish cricket days
Wednesday’s Irish victory at the cricket world cup was remarkable in various ways, not least in how it was achieved. England might not be likely cup winners, but they’re not as bad as some believe,...
View ArticleUseful Scots word: stooshie
By Betty Kirkpatrick Last time I wrote about stramash and its connection with commotion and disorderliness. This time I am staying in the same general area and writing about stooshie. Stooshie, whose...
View ArticleWeir’s Week: a lack of length and some Old Firm Mud-slinging
By Stewart Weir Saturday I forced myself to watch the Grand Slam decider (Mark 1) between England and France. Not as good as everyone wanted it to be, so in the end Harry Hill’s TV Burp won. Sunday...
View ArticleHow the health service has its roots in the Highland potato famine
By Elizabeth McQuillan Scottish physicians, as early as the eighteenth century, recognised that poverty was inextricably linked with poor health. Whether in the overcrowded industrial centres, or...
View ArticleShaken, not stirred and yoghurt enemas: James Bond vs Kelloggs
James Bond, super-suave uber-spy may, on the surface, appear to have very little in common with a popular breakfast cereal. But underneath the Saville Row suit, there are a number of threads between...
View Article