Professor Ewan Gillon: You’re so OCD… actually, you’re probably not
Most of us casually talk about ‘being obsessed’ with a new song/ book/food or being "a bit OCD" about cleaning the house before guests arrive, for example.
Feature columnists
George R Mitchell: Back on the road again
After a few weeks back home, visiting Peterhead Prison and interviewing the brave ex-prison warder Jackie Stuart, it was time to leave the UK again. And that’s me until Christmas.
A battle with prostate cancer opened my eyes to challenges facing our NHS heroes
Hats off to those stylish bikers who rode through Aberdeen the other day dressed in sharp suits rather than leathers to raise awareness of prostate cancer.
Diary of a first-time mum: I was told I needed mum friends, it sounded hideous but now I know they are vital
Ellie House has learned, amid the tears, vomit and tantrums, that parenthood is a long journey and you are going to need some friends to come along for the ride.
George R Mitchell inside Peterhead Prison: ‘I’m thran, I don’t like to get beat’
Built in 1888, Peterhead Prison housed some of Scotland’s hardest and most violent men for the next 125 years. It didn’t close its doors until 2013.
Neil Skene: Taxi drivers are fine, only 95% of them are constantly moaning
What a few weeks it’s been, I did the Great Aberdeen Run 10k this year and actually led the race until around the 1-mile mark!
Authentic, grim and fascinating: George R Mitchell inside Peterhead Prison
Built in 1888, Peterhead Prison housed some of Scotland's hardest and most violent men for the next 125 years.
Ben Dolphin: I’m all for the ‘bad critters’ in kids’ books
Last month I found myself reading two children’s books, pondering which of the two I’d rather read to a group of toddlers who would soon be learning about ‘critters in litter’ (wee beasties in the undergrowth). One was about a badger and one was about a worm.
The Flying Pigs: Never mind the scallops – crowdfunding, cow proposals and caffeine-free offspring
Cosmo Ludovic Fawkes Hunte, 13th Earl of Kinmuck
Professor Ewan Gillon: A little support and planning can lead to a stress-free student life
Professor Ewan Gillon is a Chartered Psychologist and Clinical Director of First Psychology Scotland. Centres are located in Aberdeen and throughout Scotland.
George Mitchell: A holy pilgrimage through Lalish
Fascinated by the lives of others, George R Mitchell gets under the skin of a country, often uncovering the dark corners of culture, politics and people. He now has 25 years of off-grid travel and 85 countries under his belt, and he's in no mood to stop just yet...
It’s time to ditch ‘mum guilt’ and be more honest about the challenges of motherhood
My son is now five months old and I feel about 500.
George R Mitchell: Hell on earth – Saddam Hussein style
Al-Anfal was a campaign of genocide in the late 1980s waged against the Kurdish people by Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Is it coming home?
We’ve just witnessed a remarkable weekend of sport.
Professor Ewan Gillon: Friends are good for your health
Professor Ewan Gillon is a Chartered Psychologist and Clinical Director of First Psychology Scotland with centres in Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, Inverness, Edinburgh, Glasgow & Borders.
Neil Skene: There’s an advantage sometimes to not being able to see on sunny days in Scotland
The recent warm weather spell we have enjoyed fairly played havoc with my senses - and that from a non-hay fever sufferer.
George R Mitchell: Lovely boring normality in Spain
After numerous weeks in Israel and the West Bank, I actually went back into Gaza for a second time and another three days. I finally left at 8am, going once again through the immense security to enter Israel. It’s so tight right now with all the recent killings on the Gaza border. On the Israeli side, I had no option but to take a taxi for 150 USD, direct to Tel Aviv airport; ouch that hurt the old pocket.
George R Mitchell: Interviewing an ex-member of the IDF
Inon Dan Kehati is an ex-Israeli Defence Force soldier. He was recommended to me by a friend, so I personally met with him in Jerusalem. We spent two hours together talking and drinking coffee. However, due to time constraints and other commitments at the time, this interview was done via Skype, after I had left Israel.
Prof Ewan Gillon: You don’t need a getaway to get away from it all
Taking a break from our everyday routine can have huge mental health benefits and it doesn’t need a big holiday to make the difference.
George R Mitchell: The battle for Silwan
To get a real feel for division between Palestinians and Jews, I was told by friends in the West Bank to go to Silwan, a predominantly Palestinian neighbourhood on the outskirts of Jerusalem’s old city.
Roddy Phillips: Raking through recycling bins? It might be fascinating but it won’t make you any richer
I’ve often fantasised about finding a massive stash of cash and then battling courageously with the moral dilemma of whether to hand it in to the police or keep it and go slowly crazy worrying about the money’s nasty owner tracking us down.
George R Mitchell: The infamous Gush Etzion junction
As mentioned last week, it’s the Israeli settlements that seem to inflame Palestinians most in the West Bank. Combine these settlements with armed-to-the teeth IDF soldiers, put there to protect said settlers, it’s a powder keg, just waiting to go off.
Neil Skene: Coming of age, or turning back the years?
It is frightening to think the millennium babies all come of age this year, but are they more advanced or better off than those of us that came of age in the 80s?
George R Mitchell: Illegal? Justified? Promised by God?
“Settlements”, or as some of my Jewish friends call them, “communities”, are groups of houses built by Israel on land it has occupied since the 1967 war. These settlements are more controversial than religion, checkpoints and even the blockade of The Gaza Strip.
Prof Ewan Gillon: Feeling stressed? Your kids might be, too, but there are ways to help
With today’s adult lives packed to the maximum, it’s easy to think back to our childhood wishing for easier times to return. But is being a child or a teenager really so easy these days?
George R Mitchell: A people let down
What is the first image that springs to your mind when you hear the words refugee camp? I’d guess something along the lines of people crossing borders as they flee war, then ending up living in white UN tents in the desert?
George R Mitchell: Just another normal Friday in the West Bank
The things we take for granted? Oh, after my time in the Gaza Strip, it dawned on me, just how much we really do take for granted in our everyday lives.
Prof Ewan Gillon: How to deal with the most common causes of stress for men
Professor Ewan Gillon, chartered psychologist and clinical director of First Psychology Aberdeen discusses stress in men for Stress Awareness Month.
George R Mitchell: Time to leave and summing up
I’d been to this refugee camp in Gaza a couple of days previously, and even inside this very house. Muhammad, one of Rami’s guys, is related to Shadi and his family who live here. And I’d been invited back by Shadi to share a meal with him. Feeling guilty about eating what may be precious food, I was told: “Its OK, Shadi has a job, don’t worry, you’re not taking their last food.”
George R Mitchell: Strawberries, an Imam and an Israeli drone
At certain times each day, it was just Rami and me, but we were always at some point joined by others he knew. A great bunch of guys who I got to know well.
George R Mitchell: An oasis of calm and tranquillity in Gaza
This was supposed to be a column all about fishermen, but I’ve simply got to let you know about this instead . . .
Neil Skene: Catching the eye but remember; there’s no I in Team
Well you will gather from the title I’ve done lots of business training.