Are we headed for another Great Depression?

Maybe not yet, and maybe never, but arguments about government's role in regulating the financial sector raged pretty much as they're doing now when President Roosevelt introduced his New Deal in 1933, including reforming banking practices such as pushing through the Emergency Banking Act. The Library of Congress has a great resources page on just about everything you wanted to know about the New Deal.

Scottish Government spending plans

During the global economic slowdown/crash/financial meltdown/end-of-civilisation-as-we-know-it/crisis/credit crunch/mess it's worth having a look at the Scottish Government's draft budget for 2009-10 to see what their spending plans are and where they may affect you most.