Scots sangster Iona Fyfe’s lockdoun diary

It’s the ninth o Mairch, and I’v juist gaed affstage at a venue cried SALA BBK in Bilbao, Spain. I hae hauf o the neist day tae explore aa the airts and pairts o this Basque toun afore me and my band hae tae ging on a plane back tae Glesca via Amsterdam. It’s business as normal in Bilabao, and fowk ar nou gaun aboot their auld-farrent Monday mornin wey: …

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William Playfair: faither o data visualisation

Ye could say that the Scots gied us the modren warld. The television, telephone, penicillin, logarithms, the first practical radar system and steam engine, free mercat economic theory — inventions or discoveries aw creditit tae Scots. It’s awmaist embarrassin. But maist fowk likely disna ken that the inventor o the time-series line graph, bar chairt and pie chairt wis a Scot an-aw. The graphs sae kenspeckle in economics, science and business the …

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The Yellae Jaiket muivement in Réunion

Syne 17t November, there haes been a social muivement gaun on in Fraunce cried the Yellae Jaiket (gilets jaunes) muivement. The muivement gits its name fae the heich visibility yellae jaikets the protesters weir. The muivement is mair or less spontaneous, an haes nae real heid ane.

The original ettle o the muivement wis the protest agin the waux in petrol prices. But it tite wirtht till a general revolt agin social injustice, agin the lack o participative democracy an agin the preses Macron an the thir-days Forrit (En Marche) government.

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Makkin a muckle o a mickle

Invitit oot tae a Mexican-style eatin howff twa weeks back I could hear the chiels at the fit o the buird daurin ither hauflins if they haed the smeddum tae tak the chilli challenge. I dout I haed e’en seen a chilli whan I wis their age, an it got me thinkin on the muckle chynges ower time in oor wey o eatin. Oor victuals the day ar sae different …

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Anent the Phenomenon o Bulls**t Jobs: A Wark Threap

I the year 1930, John Maynard Keynes predictit that, by the century’s end, technology wad be advanced eneuch that kintras like Britain or the Unitit States wad hae achieved a fifteen-oor wark week. The’r ivery raison tae trew he wis richt. In terms o technology, we ar brawly capable o this. But it didna happen. Insteid, technology haes been marshalt, gin onything, tae airt oot weys o makkin us aa …

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