FARMING IS NO LONGER A ‘MEN ONLY’ BUSINESS

“It is neither acceptable nor business-savvy for agencies, organisations and businesses that operate in Scottish agriculture today to be effectively male only. If we can help them to be better and more equitable, we should do so. Those agencies, organisations and businesses also need to hear clearly that men-only boards and governance structures must be consigned to the past. Scottish agriculture simply cannot afford to leave women behind, but changing a centuries-old culture will involve significant work. Crucially, it will require that everyone who has a stake and an interest in the future of agriculture in Scotland work together.

MoD KEEPS NEW NUKES REPORT SECRET

Staff shortages have prevented an official watchdog from completing all “essential tasks” to ensure the safety of the UK nuclear weapons programme, according to a previously confidential Ministry of Defence (MoD) report. A short extract from a report by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR) – kept secret by the MoD since 2017 – reveals that the nuclear programme was struggling with shortages of “suitably qualified and experienced personnel”. Four pages of the DNSR annual report for 2015-16 were released by the MoD in the run-up to a freedom of information tribunal in London on 2 December. The tribunal is considering an appeal against the MoD’s refusal to publish the whole report.

BOOK REVIEW: CIPHERS OF TRANSCENDENCE

Transcendence is a millefeuille term conveying layered and diverse nuances, from the first openness of human awareness towards the outside world, to the ultimate affirmation of and commitment to a loving and infinite Transcendent. Patrick Masterson has devoted his philosophical career to reflection upon the unfathomable nature of the latter, seeking to decipher instances and images of transcendence within the realm of limited human experience.

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