Tristan Hugh-Jones, oyster farmer

Andy Lowndes, music detective for dementia charity Playlist for Life

Nirmal Purja, mountaineer

Sandra Brydon, director of Home Group Scotland

Alan Scott, creative director at Johnstons of Elgin

Whenever I tell people that I’m involved in beauty pageants, they immediately think of the stereotypical beauty pageant contestants on TV show Toddlers and Tiaras. They imagine everyone involved has false teeth, artificial hair and fake tan which is far from true. The ethos at Miss Scotland is always to be yourself.

A young American dressed for the hills wandered past our cottage last week with the air of someone lost. Alan who, since we moved here, has found his calling as a human Google map, asked if she was looking for something. “Yeah,” she said, “a Diet Coke.” He told her that, despite our community’s many attractions, a shop wasn’t one of them. Pointing her in the other direction, towards a village two miles away, he said she’d find what she needed there.

OM MTI workers teach the Bible and foster a growing community of Jesus followers among a group of factory workers with polio.

WOULD you still celebrate a cup final win for your team if you knew for absolute certain the game had been rigged?

Cate Devine

In “Painting Nationalism Red?”, an engaging new pamphlet published by Democratic Left Scotland, the journalist Neal Ascherson pays tribute to Tom Nairn as Scotland’s “pre-eminent political intellectual”.

Today in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister will explain her decision to authorise airstrikes against Syria alongside France and the United States.

THE Through the Keyhole Pandemic Special has certainly given rise to some entertaining sights.

The staff union for the National Education Association is threatening to strike over contract negotiations.

The recent Chicago Teachers Union strike drew attention from Democratic presidential candidates in Illinois, a state won by Democrats in the last White House contest. For 2020, it's possible we could see a twist on that story: big-city teacher strikes in states with less predictable outcomes.

George Forfar: An appreciation

ONE trusts the stork’s passage across London was peaceful, its job of delivering Baby Johnson to his delighted parents made easier by the emptiness of the skies. Congratulations and welcome, young man.

A study of 900 middle schoolers finds that students who report having a sense of belonging both at home and school are less likely to engage in bullying.

An armoured car guarded the Grand Place in Brussels city centre yesterday as a group of women sat drinking coffee at an outdoor table. A reporter asked one of them what she would do if terrorists started shooting? She said: "Smile. Sit. Drink coffee. Enjoy – even if it is the last."

Coronavirus has shut down schools across the country, forcing millions of students to learn at home. In this video, families from Seattle to Maine describe how they are adjusting to this new reality.

There are many entrepreneurs who can claim that "they've always known they would start their own business," but I am not one of them. So how did I end up as an entrepreneur writing this blog?

THE surge in hobbies and home improvements during lockdown has led to a rise in injuries, with optometrists in particular issuing a warning to lockdown Brits to take extra care.

Research shows demands put on school principals are increasing when it comes to instructional leadership. Greater demands bring out increasing gaps, and a need for better leadership development.

Are you smarter than a teacher in 1966? Take this real test, taken from the "Equality of Educational Opportunity" report, to find out how you fare.

As teacher strikes sweep the nation, Marc Tucker compares the trajectory of teaching to that of the nursing profession, one of high standards of entry and rigorous preparation.

The recent Chicago Teachers Union strike drew attention from Democratic presidential candidates in Illinois, a state won by Democrats in the last White House contest. For 2020, it's possible we could see a twist on that story: big-city teacher strikes in states with less predictable outcomes.

Several qualitative studies have revealed that caregivers use infant fussing as a cue for beginning complementary feeding (CF). Despite a higher prevalence of early CF among black infants, few studies have quantitatively examined the role of maternal perception of infant fussiness.

Results of this study show that in a cohort of low-income, black, first-time mothers, early CF was highly prevalent and that maternal perception of infant temperament, breastfeeding, and maternal obesity and depression were important factors related to early CF. (Read the full article)

Several studies have reported inverse associations between fish consumption during pregnancy or later childhood and asthma prevalence. However, because fish can also be highly allergenic, the optimal timing of introduction of fish and the adequate amount in infancy remains unclear.

Introduction of fish between 6 and 12 months but not fish consumption afterward is associated with a lower risk of wheezing whereas no introduction of fish or introduction between 0 and 6 months of life increases the risk of wheezing. (Read the full article)

First drink before age 15 greatly increases the likelihood for later alcohol abuse or dependence. Separate investigations have linked many variables to alcohol initiation, but few have attempted to identify the optimal combination of predictors for age of alcohol initiation.

This article supports the screening questions selected in the joint National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the American Academy of Pediatrics initiative to identify and initiate intervention in youth at risk for early use of alcohol. (Read the full article)

Severe complications, such as respiratory failure, have been described in influenza infection. Clinicians are commonly faced with influenza-like illnesses (ILI), which is the initial nonspecific presentation of many respiratory viruses; the risk of severe complications from ILI are unknown.

Severe complications occurred in children initially presenting with ILI, irrespective of the virus identified. Risk factors for severe complications did not differ by demographics or respiratory virus, although children with high-risk conditions are at greater risk of severe complications. (Read the full article)

Low case volume has traditionally been associated with poor outcomes in complex surgical procedures, including pediatric liver transplantation.

This retrospective analysis supports the association between low case volume and poorer outcomes in pediatric liver transplantation, and, in addition, shows that candidates listed in low-volume centers have severely limited access to transplantation. (Read the full article)

Erin Cuthbert's strike for Chelsea at Lyon has been named goal of the season: watch the top ten.

Men were also more likely to request a transfer to a school with a male principal.

For companies to survive and even thrive beyond the coronavirus pandemic, they’re going to have think more like the millennial generation, says Dr Anushka Bogdanov.

The deteriorating situation in Burundi is a perfect storm of much that undermines stability in Africa today — presidents seeking impunity and power through dubious new terms, authoritarian regimes muzzling opposition and independent media, regional rivalries stalemating efforts to bring peace and outside powers unwilling or unable to act.

Many transferable quinolone-resistance mechanisms have been already identified in Gram-negative bacteria. The plasmid-encoded 65 amino-acid long ciprofloxacin-modifying enzyme, namely CrpP, was recently identified in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We analyzed a collection of 100 clonally-unrelated and multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa clinical isolates among which 46 (46%) were found positive for crpP-like genes, encoding five CrpP variants conferring variable levels of reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones. Those crpP-like genes were chromosomally located, as part of PAGI-like pathogenicity genomic islands.

Credit card fraud increased to 19.47% as at the end of March 2019, compared to 12.2% reported at the beginning of January 2019.

Sabric, a financial crime information centre, shares its tips on staying safe over the festive season.

An unusual program in Cincinnati provides academic coaches to help high school players meet eligibility requirements to stay in the game.

In Denver, teachers will go on strike Monday to protest a performance-pay system that’s been in place for 15 years. The dispute is illustrative of a larger national shift away from differentiated pay.

The coronavirus is surfacing deep inside the White House

By providing instant torque to all four wheels you can drive as normal in all conditions according to Nissan, while also feeling like you're in a sports car.

A new report from Student Achievement Partners claims that the popular reading program from literacy giant Lucy Calkins doesn't align to evidence-based practice. The review is the first in a new series that will evaluate reading programs against the scientific research base.

JooYoung Seo, a doctoral candidate in the College of Education’s Learning, Design, and Technology program, has secured a highly competitive internship with RStudio that will allow him to help people just like himself — those with severe visual impairments.

Fin24 took to the streets of Cape Town and Johannesburg asking people to share their views on Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's Budget Speech.

"The moment has finally arrived," said Spain captain Kike as he ended an international career that brought two FIFA Futsal World Cup triumphs and five UEFA Futsal EUROs.

These places give new meaning to the term "golden years". And no fewer than four of the five top retirement villages listed in the 2019 Estate Ratings report by New World Wealth are in the Western Cape.

While its "business unusual" in the SA residential property market, it is also the best buyer's market in a decade, says the chair of the Seeff Property Group.

The pharmaceutical retailer says it was forced to increase prices of surgical masks because of suppliers' inflated quotes and to match competitors, while the commission says retailers could have been following Dis-Chem's lead.

From bicycle culture to electric vehicles, the automotive industry is changing and Covid-19 may be accelerating the pace of change.