Airticles tagged “Society”
Hou tae forder human skeels
Afore the simmer, I writ in ma afore gane airticle anent hou there is specific skeels that us humans haes that ither species disnae. But hou can we forder thir capacities? Mony human skeels appear tae hae developit in the situation in prehistoric East Africae whaur, acqueesh 135,000-90,000 year syne, there wis several drochts. Thir drochts wis brithert wi a chynge in material cultur. Archaeologists thinks this suggests some o …
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 …
Anent the Phenomenon o Bulls**t Jobs: A Wark Threap
I the year 1930, John Maynard Keynes predictit that, bi 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 aw …
The skeels o Jock Tamson’s bairns
Humans is animals like ony ither in that we eat, sleep, muive aboot an dae the auld hochmagandie. But, at the same time, we arnae the same as ither animals, pairtly acause we ar the anerly species that can unnerstaund whit I’m scrievin. We ar the anerly species that haes gane fae bein an endangert species in an East African glen tae bein the anerly species tae bide on theirsels …
Fit tae dae aboot obesity?
Nae ower lang syne, there wis an outcry on social media. Cancer Research UK haed juist released new advertisin, fit wis intendit tae mak a verra clear pynt. The image clearly read: “Obesity is a cause of cancer.” Ae quine wisna too impressed wi this idea, an cried on Twitter that it wis ‘fat-shamin’ an that the chairity should tak it doun. Than, aa o a sudden, a haundfu o …
The killin fields!
I wis watchin a bonnie cock pheasant makkin his wey alang the road aside ma hoose; in his ain guid time, o coorse, as their kind ar wint tae dae, an regairdless o the caurs fleein close by. His heid an tail war up, birse puffit oot an shimmerin in the sun. Tae see sic gledsome beauty in aw its glory is aye a sicht for sair een. But I …
Bairns ootside
Seturday mornin, an I wis haein a daunder alang the road wi ma twa dugs. Gled as I wis tae be outside efter sic a miserable week o pourin rain, there wis still a muckle dub streetchin hauf wey ower ma path. There wis naebody else aboot for aw it wis a fine day. Leukin at the dub, an thinkin back tae masel as a bairn, I ken I wad …
Crack throu the keekin gless: the story o stories an their importance
Stories is a important pairt o the human ken. Awbody sees an hears stories aw ower the place ilka day, in ilka society: whither it’s in beuks, in lessons or juist in ilkaday crack, stories is pairt o aw wir lifes. Sae whit gars stories sae important for human society? Ae thing spells daes for us is that they forder wir uiss o imaigination by garrin us think an imaigine …
Naewey tae bide
It’s impossible tae unnerstaund fit it feels like tae hae naewey tae bide. But, juist shut yer een; tak a meentie tae imaigine foo it maun feel tae nae hae a comfy sofa tae come hame an park yer bahookie on efter a lang, haurd day; nae telly tae watch daft programmes on whilst ye ham in tae yer warm maet keukit in a convenient kitchen ben the hoose. Think …
Than an nou — poverty, makkin dae, an leukin oot for ilk ither
The TV news the nou is stappit fou wi hert brakkin sichts. Puir sowels wi naewhaur tae bide nor lay their heids left tae chitter in the cauld; fowk wha uissless, shilpit Officialdom hae cast sae far doun they’v nae fecht left; fowk no able tae feed their bairns, niver mind theirsels. I think o ma mither, a wumman wha in her young day haed seen a deal o poverty …