A couple of years ago I signed up for a computer game, which was rather unusual as I’ve always considered that kind of entertainment utterly pointless and dull. But this one was unlike any other. It involved going out and visiting local landmarks, monuments, places of cultural or historical significance, and so on. In the game, an imaginary mysterious energy…

He was a man unshakable in his beliefs who followed what he believed to be just and right. He was actively and passionately against the political establishment, genuinely hated by the powerful and the influential, but loved by the masses. He strongly believed that his home country had gone to the dogs, and that the only way forward was by…

25 years ago communism collapsed in Europe, brought down by the masses – masses acting similarly to those who had come together to establish it as a political system at the beginning of the 20th century. At that time communism seemed to address the widespread social injustice and exploitation of capitalism, and offered a vision of equal rights, justice and liberty…

A couple of weeks ago, at about nine o’clock in the evening, my doorbell rang. A man in his mid-twenties was looking for help to get back home by bus to somewhere down in Fife. He said he was stuck in Buckie after the friends he came to visit had departed before his arrival. He needed twenty-odd pounds for bus…

On a fairly regular basis I find myself on the receiving end of a bit of praise for what I’ve done, or said, or been. It’s very flattering, and undoubtedly very pleasant. Who wouldn’t like to hear nice things about themselves? We all need appreciation; we all want at least to be noticed. The down side to hearing all that…