The Scots invented the world

I've decided to take this summer off from classes because I've gone five straight semesters without a break and I now have three years worth of books that people have given me as gifts or lent and it's about time that I read them.

First up is How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The true story of how Western Europe's poorest nation created our world and everything in it. Seems to me my mother gave it to me for Christmas two years ago because aside from doing our bizarre German thing where we cook cabbage and yell at each other, we take time to honour the other side of our heritage by cooking oatmeal and yelling at each other.

I am now six chapters in and I must say it is fascinating. That Scotland was the first nation in 17th century Europe to have a public school system, a literacy rate above 70% and a system of public lending libraries should put those barbarians the British to shame.

What else have I learned?

The origin of the word blackmail is Scottish. It comes from the Gaelic word mail, which means rent or tribute, and black, which was the colour of cows. The practice of blackmailing involved stealing other peoples' cows and holding them for ransom, or alternately, holding them until someone stole them back, or stole the cows that had been yours in the first place (which were probably stolen at some point).

In this, they remind me kind of of the Nuer in Southern Sudan. E.E. Evans Pritchard's book was like the family bible in our house when I was growing up, because we don't do the Jesus thing. And does the Bible have full frontal nudity? I think not.