Kate Louise Mathis

Safe homes for Scotland’s swifts Safe homes for Scotland’s swifts -

There's one simple way to save our swifts - require that all new buildings above a certain size include a swift nesting brick.

Co-sign @markruskell.bsky.social's proposal to show your support before MSPs vote on Wednesday.

greens.scot/saveourswifts

Sometimes I imagine what it would have been like had we adapted to Covid instead of giving up.

If we had clean air in public spaces.
Respirators in healthcare.
Free masks for those who need them.
Better tests & treatment.
Paid time off.

We would all be healthier.

Your annual reminder that the most revealing difference between Irish and Scottish Gaelic is definitely in the words for December: Mí na Nollag (Month of Christmas) in Ireland, and An Dubhlachd (the Blackness) in Scotland. So once again may I wish you all a lovely Blackness.

Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, textile design, ca. 1915-23. Drawing for chiffon

The Scottish Languages Act 2025 comes into effect today - but its significance will only become clear over time. It's a complex, incrementalist measure and much depends on how it's implemented. My analysis here
bellacaledonia.org.uk/2025/06/20/t...

‘Nousferatu’: the notorious consultancy advising Edinburgh uni amid 'huge' cuts Scotland’s largest university has turned to Nous Group at the same time as it is making savings that could lead to nearly 2,000 job losses. Staff say they were misled about the extent of its work.

Some of our most precarious members, tutors and demonstrators on 'guaranteed hours' contracts, have had their work hours cut or disappeared entirely in management's cost cutting spree. All the money paid to Nous could have gone to them.
#StopStaffCutsatUoE

www.theferret.scot/consultancy-...

This is the most alarming story I’ve read today. Giving up the fight before it’s started

The Scottish Languages Act: opportunities and challenges The Scottish Languages Act passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament this week is the most important language legislation for Gaelic in twenty years and the first ever for the Scots language. T…

The Scottish Languages Act, which MSPs voted through in June, empowers parents to ask for a Gaelic school to be established in their area and aims to ensure that more qualifications are available in Gaelic. We explored what it means #StAndrewsDay bellacaledonia.org.uk/2025/06/20/t...

Roman Infrastructure in Early Medieval Britain: The Adaptations of the Past in Text and Stone Early Medieval Britain was more Roman than we think. The Roman Empire left vast infrastructural resources on the island. These resources lay buried not only in dirt and soil, but also in texts, laws, ...

For what is worth my first book is going into paperback now, so you can actually have it for less than 40 euros. (Or even better: recommend it to your librarian!)

www.routledge.com/Roman-Infras...

Sounds like long COVID. We knew this was coming a few years ago. Multiple infections progressively impair people's cognitive and physical abilities.

⚠️ BREAKING:

Spain 🇪🇸 Reintroduces Mask Mandate as COVID-19 and Flu Surge Push Hospitals Toward Crisis

It isn’t a matter of if, it is just a matter of when.
#longcovid #wearamask

cover of David Stifter, Sengoídelc. Old Irish for Beginners, Syracuse University Press 2006.

🌲 ➖1️⃣🎁
Old Irish Grammar

The Advent Calendar starts at -1, before I came to Maynooth University @maynoothuniversity.ie in 2011. In 2006 & 2010, I produced two descriptions of Old Irish: my textbook Sengoídelc, and a concise typological grammar of Early Irish for the volume “The Celtic Languages”.
📖

Print featuring three stylised birds in dark colours with angular features and long beaks

Shima Tamami (1937-1999), an influential Japanese printmaker #ReframingWomenPrintmakers

Print featuring a puddle in a forest area with snow on the ground surrounded by small birds in silhouette, in the background are the trunks of trees and outlines of ferns in black

'The puddle bathers' by contemporary Glasgow printmaker Fiona Watson #WomensArt

Scottish Parliament overwhelmingly supports Scottish fishing The UK Government’s decision to allocate Scotland only £28mn of the £360mn Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund is condemned in the Scottish Parliament

“Scotland accounts for more than 60% of the UK’s fishing capacity – yet this UK Labour Government thinks it is acceptable to give us just 7.78% of the funding. It is completely unjustifiable and an insult to the sector in Scotland."

#Fishing
#Economy
#Scotland🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

#OtD 30 Nov 1923 Scottish revolutionary socialist, John Maclean, known as "Scotland's Lenin", died of pneumonia aged 44 following repeated incarceration and force feeding. His funeral (pictured) was attended by thousands stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/1032...

'How can a union be voluntary if one party is neither allowed to leave, nor told how they can ever leave? It is not voluntary. It is a hostage situation' || @neilmackay.bsky.social

www.heraldscotland.com/poli...

#EdinburghHour on BlueSky - Friday 28 November 7pm – 8pm 7:00 Favourite Edinburgh Independent Retailer, Maker, or Organisation: Kick off by shining a light on your favourites by sharing their website and social media handles using #EdinburghHour 7:05 Edinburgh-themed Gifts: Capital gifts for homesick burghers or city lovers. Think art, prints, and souvenirs celebrating Auld Reekie. #EdinburghHour 7:10 Gifts Under £10: Stocking fillers, Secret Santa ideas, and small, affordable treats. Keep it budget-friendly and remember to use hashtag #EdinburghHour 7:15 Experiences: We want to know about vouchers for workshops, theatre, tours, spa treatments, tasting sessions, or classes offered by local businesses. #EdinburghHour 7:20 Charity & Virtual Gifts: Be kind, share your gift ideas which support local causes using #EdinburghHour 7:25 Books: Focus on books about Edinburgh, or titles by Edinburgh-based authors and bookish gifts from your favourite local bookshops. #EdinburghHour 7:30 Food & Drink Gifts: Local coffee, craft beer, whisky, confectionery, chutneys, and hampers. #EdinburghHour 7:35 Unique, Personalised, One-Off: Bespoke items, commissioned artwork, or one-of-a-kind treasures. #EdinburghHour 7:40 For Children & Pets: Toys, books, pet treats, accessories, and supplies for children and animals. #EdinburghHour 7:45 Festive Shopping Events: Promote upcoming local Christmas Fairs, Makers Markets, etc where people can shop in person. Give dates, times, and locations with the #EdinburghHour hashtag 7:50 Everything Else: Anything else! clothing, homewares, stationery, etc. #EdinburghHour 7:55 Crucial Information: Final dates for retailers and event organisers to remind us of offers, festive opening hours and last shipping/collection dates etc. #EdinburghHour 8:00 Ends

PLEASE SHARE:

On Black Friday, I want to draw attention away from the big chains and towards local Edinburgh independent retailers, makers and markets.

Please join me from

7 pm - 8 pm on Friday 28 November

to share some ideas for Christmas gifting.

We'll use the hashtag #EdinburghHour

Super disappointing to see the people - who I would otherwise respect - in the comments saying "but I do use it so it's fine".
Even if you don't think it's a red flag for intellectual laziness... it's stolen data! It's THEFT! You're showing your lack of ethics to me & that matters!

Israel’s genocide against Palestinians 'not over' despite ceasefire - new Amnesty briefing Conditions for Palestinians in Gaza show no significant change, with no clear evidence to indicate that Israel’s intent has changed

Link to briefing: www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releas...

🚨BOOM! The Petition calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy has now rocketed past 80,000 signatures! Let’s get it to 100,000 this weekend. If a petition is what it’s going to take let’s get this done!

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...

Our Culture of Coerced Infection “You Do You”—unless you are trying to protect yourself from Covid

“… coerced infection—the complete lack of mitigation and the normalization of mass and repeated infection of a debilitating virus—is ubiquitous throughout society.“
open.substack.com/pub/jacobsch...

How to explain AI to your family this holiday season | CNN Business Politics, football and movies are among the many topics that tend to come up around Thanksgiving. In 2025, a new question may arise at the table: Why the heck is everyone talking about AI, and what sh...

"Imagine you stole all of the intellectual property in the world. And you're using it to help people write middling emails and make revenge porn about women, and also children. And you're powering this plagiarism and non-consensual porn machine by eating up what's left of humanity's carbon budget."

Mystery why so many kids are struggling with mental health when we're doing the "let it rip" strategy for Covid transmission in schools

T cell-driven sustained inflammation and immune dysregulation mimicking immunosenescence for up to three years post-COVID-19 - Immunity & Inflammation Long COVID has emerged as a major global health concern, yet the long-term trajectory of immune recovery and its contribution to persistent symptoms remain to be elucidated. Here, we conducted a three...

The #Leonardi_Effect is very long‼️

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Anger as Waterstones snaps up prime site on doorstep of independent bookshop UK's biggest bookselling chain under fire over plans for new store beside Edinburgh tram line.

We need your help.

@waterstones.bsky.social, without any direct communication with us, will be opening their 6th Edinburgh branch less than 100 metres from our front door at the Foot of the Walk in Leith.

Please read on for more information

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2562908...

(1/2)

Damn, did I miss this being advertised?! We could have sent the Old Irish students, to prove there is life beyond its infixed pronouns... Hope you're keeping splendidly.

Handing back student work that’s been written by ChatGPT with a 0 followed by the comment “This essay will never stand in authentic wonder before the Beauty of God’s creation.”

Outstanding reflection on the importance of close reading. It's curious that universities are closing the very departments that teach students this critical skill. It's the one "AI-proof" pedagogy that demands attention and rejects cognitive offloading. Which is probably why it's under threat.