Average Person Awareness Day

Apparently, there is both a Transgender Awareness Week and a Transgender Awareness Month. Although, as far as I can make out, these overlap. Transgender Awareness Week falls within Transgender Awareness Month. Presumably, we are expected to be doubly aware of transgender for those seven days. Quite how it might be possible to remain unaware of … Continue reading Average Person Awareness Day

Faceless forces

When you encounter people who denigrate and deride The National, try rattling off a list of the columnists who write for the paper ─ Stuart Cosgrove, David Pratt, Kirsty Strickland, Joanna Cherry, Andrew Tickell, Ruth Wishart, Lesley Riddoch and the rest. My guess is that you'll draw blank stares at most of the names you … Continue reading Faceless forces

Good sense prevails

The Sunday National today presents its "exclusive analysis" under the headline Scotland's councils: The gender balance of each local authority. But how can that be? If gender is malleable how can there possibly be "gender balance"? Sex balance is achievable. Because sex is binary and immutable. There are two sexes so, to state the obvious, … Continue reading Good sense prevails

The stuff of nightmares

Andrew Tickell's column in this week's Sunday National is largely given over to the gut-wrenching testimony of those affected by the Post Office 'Horizon' scandal. Hundreds of lives wrecked in the name of corporate greed and arrogance. Thousands if we count the families of those falsely accused of dishonesty because the Post Office management was … Continue reading The stuff of nightmares

Handshake no more

Long before the coronavirus pandemic I had grown uncomfortable with the traditional handshake greeting. My discomfort only being aggravated by the fact that it was so difficult to avoid. And to forsake. The urge to shake hands on meeting friends and acquaintances or being introduced to new people is almost primal. It is close to … Continue reading Handshake no more