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[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Friday 2nd February 2018

Hello, Good Morning and Welcome….  Quite amazing the things I’ve “dug up” in Scotland for this week’s archeological news, from a Crown to a Murdered Archer, gives a new twist on William Shakespeare’s  Hamlet, To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them?... or to Quote Robbie Burns: The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft a-gley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain For promis'd joy….

FOURTH-CENTURY B.C. CROWN REPATRIATED TO TURKEY…. ANKARA, TURKEY—Hurriyet Daily  News reports that an ancient gold crown, stolen from the Aegean site of Milas, has been returned to Turkey. The 2,400-year-old crown is said to have been taken from the burial chamber of Hecatomnus in 2008. It was found in Edinburgh, Scotland, two years later, when Scottish police pursued a lead from auction house officials. In addition, a sixteenth-century Quran is in the process of being recovered. “We will not stop pursuing the artifacts that belong to our country,” said Numan Kurtulmuş, Turkey’s culture and tourism minister. The crown will be put on display at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara.

NEOLITHIC HOUSE UNEARTHED IN SOUTHERN SCOTLAND…. EAST AYRSHIRE, SCOTLAND—The Scotsman reports that a 6,000-year-old dwelling has been found in a field in southwestern Scotland. Kenneth Green of GUARD Archaeology said the building’s post holes indicate it measured about 45 feet long by 25 feet wide. Neolithic pottery, hazelnut shells, and charcoal were also recovered at the site. Green noted that just the deepest sections of some post holes remain after thousands of years of plowing, but that the width and depth of the holes suggest they once held very large upright posts. Early farmers are thought to have lived in the structure with extended family or groups of families. They probably grew wheat and barley, and kept cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. The excavation also uncovered evidence of a stream that ran by the house.

REMOTE CAVE IN SCOTLAND MAPPED…. BRADFORD, ENGLAND—According to a Live Science report, researchers led by Ian Armit of the University of Bradford have created a 3-D virtual map of Scotland’s Sculptor’s Cave, which overlooks the North Sea and can only be entered at low tide. The cave is known for the images carved at its entrance by the Picts between A.D. 500 and 600. It may also have served as a place to lay out bodies for funerary rites beginning around 1000 B.C. Analysis of one group of human remains suggests the people may have been decapitated in the cave, sometime around A.D. 250, near the end of the period the cave was is use. “The site is pretty hard to get to, so if people want to appreciate it and want to understand it, then the idea was to create a resource that was as close to being in the cave without actually having to get there,” Armit said. The cave’s main chamber and twin entrance passageways were mapped with a terrestrial laser scanner. Different equipment and lighting techniques were employed to capture the Pictish symbols and other fine details.

SCOTLAND’S DANDALEITH STONE MAY BE UNIQUE…. ABERDEENSHIRE, SCOTLAND—A large, pink granite boulder carved with symbols on adjacent faces was discovered last year by a farmer after it broke his plow. The stone was carved by the Picts, who lived in the region between the third and ninth centuries, with a large eagle, crescent and V-rod, notch rectangle and Z-rod. The Picts are thought to have created such stones between the sixth and eighth centuries as markers or commemorations. “The presence of two sets of symbols on a single stone is itself a very unusual feature relative to the corpus of symbol-bearing stones,” David V. Clarke, former Keeper of Archaeology at the National Museum of Scotland, told Culture 24. Archaeologists will investigate the field where the stone was found to try and determine if that was its original setting, or if it had been deposited there during a large-scale flood.

ANATOMICAL SPECIMENS UNEARTHED IN SCOTLAND…. EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND—Some 60 bones from at least four adults and one child that were unearthed in a backyard in Edinburgh last year by consultants from GUARD Archaeology may have been used by medical students to study human anatomy in the early nineteenth century. The bones have small holes drilled in them that could have been used to articulate them with wire. Some of the bones also have shiny patches, suggested that they had been handled often. “Edinburgh’s medical schools acquired human remains legally from hangings, unclaimed poor, or, in fact, from illegally dug graves,” commented John Lawson of the City of Edinburgh Council Archaeology Service. These bones in particular may have been acquired illegally and then buried in order to hide them, or perhaps they were buried when they were no longer needed.

MEDIEVAL MURDER VICTIM IDENTIFIED IN SCOTLAND…. EAST LOTHIAN, SCOTLAND—Analysis of a 900-year-old skeleton of a young man buried at the site of the modern Scottish Seabird Centre shows he was stabbed multiple times in the back, left shoulder, and ribs. The BBC reports that after analyzing the murder victim's injuries, archaeologists say he was likely killed with a lozenge-shaped dagger almost three inches long, a type which was commonly carried by soldiers of the time. The accuracy of the wounds suggests the murder was not spur of the moment, but was planned and carried out with some professionalism. Wear on the shoulder of the man suggests he may have been an archer.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is Skara Brae ..the stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland.

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Friday 2nd February 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – Archeological News From Around The World

Friday 2nd February 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  It’s that day of the week again, Archeological News Day! This seems to attract more reader than any other day of the week which is pleasing of course, we have a page the is exclusively Archeology called “Our Past Beneath Our Feet” and we are always looking for new members…Hint Hint… https://www.facebook.com/groups/OurPastBeneathOurFeet/

BRONZE AGE SKELETON FOUND IN NORTHEAST ENGLAND…. NORTHUMBERLAND, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that skeletal remains were found in a burial cist on farmland in northeast England. The body and a beaker had been placed in the stone-lined grave and covered with what appears to be a horsehair blanket. Sanita Nezirovic of the University of Derby evaluated the bones. She thinks they belonged to a young man who was between the ages of 17 and 21 when he died some 3,500 years ago, and added that his teeth were in good condition. “The shape of his head is beautiful, and you can see from the teeth he would have had a perfect smile,” she said. Nezirovic also noted that he probably stood somewhere between five feet, six inches, and five feet, nine inches tall.

MEDIEVAL CHESS PIECE UNEARTHED IN SOUTHERN NORWAY….  TØNSBERG, NORWAY—According to a Live Science report, a game piece recovered from a thirteenth-century house in southern Norway is believed to be a knight from a shatranj, or ancient chess set, since it is carved with circles on the bottom, sides, and top, and a protruding snout bearing dotted circles, causing it to resemble a horse. Archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research suspect some lead inside the thimble-shaped piece of carved antler helps it to stand upright. Lars Haugesten, project manager of the excavation, says similar game pieces are found in Arabia, where chess was first played in the seventh century. In addition, a twelfth-century chess piece has been found in Lund, Sweden.

TWO WELL-PRESERVED SHIPWRECKS DISCOVERED IN BALTIC SEA…. STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—According to a report in The Local, two wooden shipwrecks have been found in the Baltic Sea, near Sweden. One of the vessels is thought to be a single-masted cog dating to the fourteenth or fifteenth centuries. The other ship, thought to date to the sixteenth century, was carrying 20 barrels of osmond iron, a type of wrought iron, and tar when it sank. Maritime archaeologist Jim Hansson said he had never seen such well-preserved shipwrecks. They will be featured in a new maritime museum in Stockholm.

MODERN HUMAN FOSSIL IN ISRAEL PUSHES BACK MIGRATION DATES…. TEL AVIV, ISRAEL—According to a New York Times report, a fossilized portion of a modern human upper jaw, complete with seven intact teeth, has been found in Israel’s Misliya Cave by a team led by Israel Hershkovitz of Tel Aviv University. The maxilla has been dated to between 177,000 and 194,000 years old, which suggests that modern humans were present in the Levant at least 50,000 years earlier than previously thought. Paleoanthropologist Gerhard W. Weber of the University of Vienna and his team used high-resolution micro-CT scanning equipment to create a 3-D replica of the jaw, examine its features, and compare them with fossils of Neanderthals, Homo erectus, and other hominins from Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. “It’s not a little bit modern, or on the border of being modern,” Weber said. “It is really modern human.” The fossil is said to be the oldest-known evidence of modern humans living outside of Africa, and it could push back the evolution of Homo sapiens by 100,000 to 200,000 years, suggesting they originated in Africa some 300,000 to 500,000 years ago.

NEW THOUGHTS ON HUMAN BRAIN EVOLUTION…. LEIPZIG, GERMANY—Simon Neubauer of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and his colleagues say rounded heads rising above the forehead and globe-shaped brains appeared in modern humans between 100,000 and 35,000 years ago, according to a Science News report. The researchers used micro-CT scans of the inner surfaces of the skulls in the test sample to create digital approximations of the size and shape of the individuals’ brains. The sample included 20 ancient Homo sapiens skulls, the oldest of which date to 315,000 years ago. Four of the skulls date to between 120,000 and 115,000 years ago, and the remainder between 36,000 and 8,000 years ago. The ancient brains were compared with 89 present-day modern-human brains, and the brains of 10 members of other ancient Homo species ranging in age from 1.78 million years to 200,000 years. Eight Neanderthal brains, dating to between 75,000 and 40,000 years ago, were also used for comparison. The study suggests that over a period of about 250,000 years, the human brain remained the same size, but transitioned from a flatter, elongated shape to a rounder one, due to changes in the parietal and cerebellar areas. Those parts of the brain are involved in orientation, attention, imagery, self-awareness, memory, numerical processing, language, balance, spatial processing, and tool use.

PREHISTORIC ARTIFACTS RECOVERED FROM NORWAY’S GLACIERS…. CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND—Newsweek reports that more than 2,000 artifacts dating back to as early as 4000 B.C. have been recovered from mountain passes in the glaciers of Oppland, Norway, by an international team of researchers. The artifacts include weapons and arrows, the remains of pack horses, and skis. Lars Pilø of the Glacier Archaeology Program at Oppland County Council said the skis are broader than modern skis, and may have been partly covered in fur. A tunic dating to the Iron Age, one Bronze-Age shoe, and the remains of sleds were also found. Pilø said that during the Late Antique Little Ice Age, a period stretching from A.D. 536 to 660, harvests failed and populations fell, but the number of artifacts from that time period suggests the survivors intensified other means of gathering food in the mountains. “This is sort of a dark archaeology, where we benefit from climate change that’s making this ice high in the mountains melt,” Pilø said. “There’s not much we can do to stop it, but at least we can be up there trying to find what we can.”

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the Archeological news from around the world this, Friday morning… …

Our Tulips today are resplendent in all their glory…..

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Friday 2nd February 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Wednesday 31st January 2018

Hello, Good Morning and Welcome….  Just about every day this week is windy.. it seems, as Bella and I get blown down to the beach, its cold as well, and of course the wind makes it feel even colder, so I wrapped up well, off to Malaga this morning, Sandra, my wife has quite a few clients coming in for cataract surgery, the come in from all over the world, but that’s another story, me, been there done that, and can see for miles and miles… and Bella wants to go home, and eat.. and I need my coffee …Have a great day!  

REPORTER FINDS WHAT MAY BE AMERICA’S LAST SLAVE SHIP….  Wade in the water, children — never know what you’ll find. In 1860, the Clotilda was the last ship to bring a group of African slaves to the U.S., but the captain unloaded and sank her, as international slaving was outlawed in 1808. Freed a few years later, the captives would found a nearby community called Africatown, still home to their descendants. But the ship was lost, until journalist Ben Raines followed historical clues and local lore to a wreck that, if verified, may trouble the waters again.

TECHNOLOGY GIVES BOOST TO THOSE WHO CAN’T SPEAK…. They’re searching for their own voices. Those who’ve lost their ability to speak to illness or other debilitating conditions have long been reliant on technology — from the robotic “Stephen Hawking voice” to more modern humanized voices — that fails to reflect users’ identities. Now speech pathologist Rupal Patel and her VocaliD project are trying to provide more natural-sounding solutions. By using a variety of donor voices or, when possible, a patient’s archived original voice, Patel hopes those lacking vocal abilities can set the tone for the way they express themselves.

WORLD'S BIGGEST EVER DIGITAL CURRENCY 'THEFT'…. One of Japan's largest digital currency exchanges says it has lost some $534m (£380m) worth of virtual money in a hacking attack on its network. Coincheck suspended deposits and withdrawals for all crypto-currencies except Bitcoin as it assessed its losses in NEM, a lesser-known coin. If the theft is confirmed, it will be the largest involving digital currency. Another Tokyo exchange, MtGox, collapsed in 2014 after admitting that $400m had been stolen from its network. The stolen Coincheck money was said to be kept in a "hot wallet" - a part of the exchange connected to the internet. That contrasts with a cold wallet, where funds are stored securely offline. Coincheck says it has the digital address of where the money was sent and is going to do what it can to compensate investors.

IRELAND TO LIFT GOOD FRIDAY ALCOHOL BAN…. Pubs will be allowed to sell alcohol on Good Friday in the Republic of Ireland after the Irish parliament voted in favour of new legislation. Alcohol prohibition on the Easter holiday has been in place for 90 years. The amendment to the Intoxicating Liquor Act is expected to be signed off by President Michael D Higgins and in place for Good Friday this year. Government minister David Stanton said the move would be a boost for Irish tourism. "Tourism makes a much greater contribution to our economy and this is particularly true during holidays, such as the busy Easter period," he told the Dáil. However, some parliament members opposed the law change.

PROFESSIONAL DARTS BOSSES AXE MODEL WALK-ON GIRLS FROM TELEVISED EVENTS…. Professional darts bosses have controversially axed the model walk-on girls from major televised events. Models escorting the players onto the stage and up to the oche have been a regular feature of the Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, including the hugely popular world darts championships held annually at the Alexandra Palace in London over Christmas and New Year. James Wade, a regular in the world's top 10, married his walk-on girl, Sammi Marsh, three years ago. However, according to the Mirror, PDC chiefs have confirmed the walk-on girls would not be part of televised events in 2018. They were in danger of becoming incompatible with family viewing, the Mirror reported. A PDC spokesman told the Mirror: "We regularly review all aspects of our events and this move has been made following feedback from our host broadcasters." Darts legend Phil Taylor has been accompanied to the oche by plenty of walk-on girls over the years. Fans have launched a petition to reverse the decision, with more than 4000 signatories as of Saturday afternoon (NZT). Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld, a multiple world champion, has weighed in with his support for the petition, tweeting: "I will really miss the girls! For me they are a part of the darts. Sign their petition so hopefully they can keep their jobs."

VILA, ONE OF WORLD'S OLDEST GORILLAS, DIES IN CAPTIVITY AT 60…. San Diego Zoo Safari Park announced on Friday that Vila, who was born in the Congo in 1957, died surrounded by members of her family troop. She was the "matriarch", they said, of five generations. "There are very few gorillas anywhere near that age," said Peggy Sexton, a lead animal keeper at the safari park in California. Gorillas typically live for 35-40 years. "She will be missed by zoo members, guests, volunteers and staff," said Randy Riches, mammals curator at the safari park. The oldest gorilla living in the care of humans is thought to be 61-year-old Trudy at Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas. Like Vila, she was captured from the wild. A gorilla called Colo who died last year was at the time the oldest gorilla born in captivity.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is Burns night at Dunstaffnage Castle, close to Dunbeg & overlooking Ardmucknish Bay - near Oban. Taken by Nick Edgington

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Wednesday 31st January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Wednesday 31st January 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  The end of January has arrived, a twelfth of the year has gone by in a blur… does time go faster when you are older, or is the perception of time different the older you get?  Remember as a child when summer vacation lasted for what felt like years and those last minutes of the school day, like hours? Today it feels like the days peel on by, and a vacation which may last days or weeks is gone in mere hours. This is a common human experience. Of course, our own age has no influence on how the Earth revolves around the sun. So why is it that time appears to moves faster as we grow older? There are an awful lot of theories that give us insight. But a direct scientific law so far remains elusive, but as I get older I’m trying to slow it down…..

SOUTH KOREANS CONQUER FEAR OF DINING ALONE…. Sales of ready-made meals-for-one are on the increase in South Korea as locals conquer a deeply ingrained cultural fear of dining alone. According to figures recently published by the government's Statistics Korea organisation, consumption of instant rice and single-serve lunches is bucking the national trend which shows rice consumption to be on the decline, Korea Bizwire reports. That's down to more people taking up the "honbap" (eating alone) habit, a Statistics Korea official says, a habit that has - until recently - been seen as taboo in South Korean society. Writing in 2016, Chang May Choon of Singapore's Straits Times explained that solo dining goes against Koreans' pressing need to belong to a group and not be ostracised. "What they fear is losing their chaemyon (reputation) if people think of them as a wangda (loner), and that's a big taboo," Ms Chang said.

FITNESS APP STRAVA LIGHTS UP STAFF AT MILITARY BASES…. Security concerns have been raised after a fitness tracking firm showed the exercise routes of military personnel in bases around the world. Online fitness tracker Strava has published a "heatmap" showing the paths its users log as they run or cycle. It appears to show the structure of foreign military bases in countries including Syria and Afghanistan as soldiers move around them. The US military was examining the heatmap, a spokesman said. San Francisco-based Strava provides an app that uses a mobile phone's GPS to track a subscriber's exercise activity. It uses the collected data, as well as that from fitness devices such as Fitbit and Jawbone, to enable people to check their own performances and compare them with others. It says it has 27 million users around the world.

FRENCH FLOODS: SEINE RIVER REACHES PEAK IN FLOOD-HIT PARIS…. The swollen River Seine in the French capital, Paris, has peaked at about four metres above its normal water level for the time of year. The flood level rose to 5.84m (19.2ft) early on Monday and is not expected to begin receding before Thursday. Weeks of rainfall have produced a relentless rise in the water level. Around 1,500 people have been evacuated from their homes in the greater Paris region, while a similar number of homes remain without electricity. In 2016, the last significant flood in Paris, the river reached a high of 6.1m. Seven stations of a main commuter line, the RER C, have now been closed until at least 5 February, and some expressways that run alongside the Seine have been closed. The city's famous Bateaux Mouches tourist boats are out of service, with only emergency services allowed to use the river.

DONALD TRUMP 'NOT AWARE' OF ANY ROYAL WEDDING INVITE…. Donald Trump has said he is not aware of any invitation to attend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding. Asked whether he had received an invite for the 19 May wedding, the US president said "not that I know of". American actress Ms Markle was a Hillary Clinton supporter in the 2016 US election, and has referred to Mr Trump as "divisive" and a "misogynist". In an interview with Piers Morgan for ITV, Mr Trump said Prince Harry and Ms Markle looked "like a lovely couple". When asked if he would like to attend the wedding at Windsor Castle, the president said: "I want them to be happy, I really want them to be happy. "They look like a lovely couple." Prince Harry and Ms Markle will get married in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. It holds about 800 people, making it a more intimate setting than the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in Westminster Abbey.

RHONDDA CYNON TAFF DOG OWNERS' FINES TOTAL £10,000 FOR DOG POO…. More than 100 fines totalling £10,000 have been issued to "irresponsible" dog owners in Rhondda Cynon Taff since new rules came in four months ago. Since October 2017, 103 fixed penalty notices have been issued for offences including owners not picking up dog mess or carrying poo bags. The new rules also ban dogs or require them to be on a lead in certain areas. The council said the fines could have been avoided if people had stuck to the rules. It said enforcement teams had stepped up patrols in order to tackle dog fouling, which was one of the most complained about problems. The new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in force states dog owners must: Clean up their dogs' mess immediately and dispose of it properly Carry dog poo bags at all times Put a dog on a lead when asked by an authorised officer Not take dogs onto school grounds, children's play areas and council-owned sports pitches Keep dogs on a lead in council cemeteries Nigel Wheeler, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council's director of highways and streetcare services, said: "In total, fines of more than £10,000 have now been issued for people breaking the new dog fouling rules - which could have easily been avoided if people had simply acted responsibly. "This figure shows that we are continuing to take a tough stance on this issue, while the council will also install dozens more red dog mess bins this year to further encourage responsible dog ownership."

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, Wednesday morning… …

Our Tulips today are not modern art but you could be excused for thinking so…..

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Wednesday 31st January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Monday 29th January 2018

Hello, Good Morning and Welcome….  With the inevitability of the Julian calendar, Monday has rolled around once more and we prepare ourselves for another working week…For me, my life is no different than when I worked  for my company, but the sign on the door says, “Retired” which translates to past it, and effectively means, that no company will consider you for employment, so you are supposed to get up late, have a lazy day… because you earned it … I think that is the way to an early grave, I remain active, both physical and mentally, walking Bella, writing The Thistle and The Tulip and many other articles, it all keeps the body and the mind active,

APPEAL AFTER HIGH-VALUE PAINTINGS STOLEN IN MIDLOTHIAN…. Two high-value paintings have been stolen from a house in Midlothian. The works by Scottish artists were taken from a home in the Eskbank area of Dalkeith between Tuesday 17 October and Thursday 19 October last year, but details have just been released. Police said the thieves gained access to the property and took the paintings which hold sentimental value to the owner. Both paintings are original pieces and are forensically marked. The first is a picture of fish entitled "The Maverick" by artist Gordon Mitchell and the second is "The Lady with the Skate" by John Bellany. Officers are asking anyone with information to come forward. PC Emily Dalgetty from Musselburgh Police Station said: "These pieces of art have huge sentimental value to the owner and we are keen to trace those responsible for their theft. "I would ask anyone who has seen, or been offered these paintings, to contact us as soon as possible."

GLASGOW CITY CENTRE IS ONE OF UK'S POOREST AREAS…. Glasgow is among the UK's poorest constituencies, according to a new report. The End Child Poverty Coalition, made up of charities, faith groups and trade unions, said that 45% of children in the city centre were living in poverty. Glasgow Central appears 12th on a list of 20 constituencies, which is otherwise dominated by communities in London, Birmingham and Manchester. West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine had the fewest children in poverty at 9.2%. The Coalition calculated the number of children in poverty using a combination of HMRC data and a Labour Force Survey. A child was classed as poor if their family had less than £248 a week to spend after housing costs. That amount is less than 60% of median household income in the UK. Across Scottish constituencies, the organisation found that just under a third of children in North Ayrshire (29%) and Dundee (28%) were living in poverty. Other areas, such as North Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire, Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire and Clackmannanshire had a quarter of children in poverty.

MOBILE CINEMA OPERATOR SECURES KEY FUNDING…. The operator of the UK's only full-time, self-contained mobile cinema has secured the funding it needs to run its programme for the next three years. Regional Screen Scotland (RSS) said Creative Scotland intends to provide it with a total grant of £620,350 for April 2018 to March 2021. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will also give a total of £75,000 over the same period. RSS operates the mobile cinema the Screen Machine. The service was originally started in 1998. The current vehicle, which has been in use since 2005, was fully refurbished last year. The cinema tours the Highlands, Inner and Outer Hebrides and Northern Isles. RSS said: "We're delighted that the continuing success of the Screen Machine, which visited 51 different locations in the last year, has been so firmly endorsed by our two key funders."

TRAIN COULD BE MOVED AFTER LANDSLIP ON WEST HIGHLAND LINE…. NetworkRail Scotland said it could soon be possible to move a train that was caught up in a landslip on the West Highland Line on Monday. Five passengers were on board when the train came off the track early on Monday morning. No-one was injured. The line is blocked at Loch Eilt between Arisaig and Glenfinnan and the ScotRail Alliance has said Fort William-Mallaig services will be suspended until further notice. Engineers from NetworkRail Scotland are clearing tonnes of material to free the train and clear the line. A spokesman for the company said: "Works on site are progressing well. "Yesterday the team drained standing water from around the derailed vehicle and began to dig out the mud surrounding it. "Today we will complete the removal of the landslip material from around the train and then re-rail it. If possible we may move the train today, but that may not happen until tomorrow." He added: "In the days after that, we'll repair damage to the track and carry out further works to secure the slope."

UNTAXED CAR CATCHES OUT CANNABIS COURIERS…. Two men were caught with almost £30,000 worth of cannabis after using an untaxed car to transport the drug, a court heard. Kieran Teasdale and Jacob Simpson were pulled over by police after a routine computer check showed that their vehicle had not been taxed. Officers noticed a "strong smell of cannabis" coming from the car when its window was wound down. Both men were jailed for 19 months at Perth Sheriff Court. Depute fiscal Michael Sweeney told the court that the total weight of the cannabis was almost 2kg and it had a potential street value of £29,000. The court was told that the chance discovery was made because Simpson had "stupidly" decided to use an untaxed car to drive the cannabis from Bradford to Aberdeen. Simpson, 27, and Teasdale, 24, both from Bradford, had earlier admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis on the M90 on the outskirts of Perth in April 2016.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is by.. Morris Macleod … There's been some tricky driving conditions across Scotland this week. Even Morris Macleod encountered a road block on the Pentland Road in Lewis.

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Monday 29th January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Monday 29th January 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader…. The start of another week, no I’m not complaining, just stating fact… It’s one more week I shall have lived on this little blue planet as it spins through the universe, on it’s never ending journey through space and time….I feel privileged to be a part of this amazing adventure we call life, on the journey of a life time, and as they say it all started with one small step…

CAMELS BANNED FROM SAUDI BEAUTY CONTEST OVER BOTOX…. Twelve prized camels have been disqualified from a beauty contest in Saudi Arabia after their owners tried to tweak their good looks with Botox. Thousands of camels are paraded at the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival to be judged on their shapely lips and humps. But judges stepped in when they discovered some owners had cheated in a bid to win the cash prizes. The festival, which also features camel racing and camel milk tasting, has combined prize money of $57m (£40m). Ali Al Mazrouei, the son of a top Emirati breeder, said Botox was used for the lips, the nose and even the jaw, news website The National reported. "It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it's like, 'oh look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose'," he said. Judges are also looking for perfectly placed humps, muscular physiques and leathery mouths. In the lead up to the festival, Saudi media reported that a vet had been caught giving camels plastic surgery including Botox injections and reducing the size of their ears.

GRUMPY CAT WINS $710,000 PAYOUT IN COPYRIGHT LAWSUIT…. The owners of a cat made famous online because of its permanent scowl have been awarded $710,000 (£500,000) in a case by a California federal court. Grumpy Cat Limited sued the owners of US coffee company Grenade for exceeding an agreement over the cat's image. The company only had rights to use the cat to sell its "Grumppuccino" iced drink, but sold other Grumpy products. The cat, real name Tardar Sauce, went viral in 2012 after photographs of her sour expression emerged online. Originally posted on the social website Reddit by the brother of the cat's owner, Tabatha Bundesen, the image of the cat quickly spread as a meme with funny text captions. In 2013 Grenade Beverage, owned by father and son Nick and Paul Sandford, struck a $150,000 deal to market iced coffee beverages with the cat's scowl on its packaging. But in 2015 Grumpy Cat Limited sued them for breaching that contract. A court filing claimed they had exceeded the deal by selling roasted coffee and Grumppucino T-shirts, which Grumpy Cat said "blatantly infringed" their copyrights and trademarks. The coffee chain's owners countersued on the grounds that the cat and its owners had not held up their side of the deal. A lawyer for Grenade said Grumpy Cat had failed to mention its brand enough on social media and in a television appearance, according to court reports.

CAPTAIN COOK STATUE VANDALISED AHEAD OF AUSTRALIA DAY…. A statue of British explorer Captain James Cook has been vandalised in Melbourne in an apparent protest on the eve of Australia Day. The statue was found covered in paint on Thursday. Graffiti depicted an Aboriginal flag and the words: "We remember genocide". Australia Day, the anniversary of British settlement, causes annual debate over indigenous sensitivities. The Australian government said the vandalism was "disgraceful". "These vandals are trashing our national heritage and should be prosecuted," tweeted Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Alan Tudge. He told local radio station 3AW: "I want Australia Day to be a great unifying day for our country. It has been for many decades now." Police said they were investigating the incident but no suspects had been identified.

FIRST MONKEY CLONES CREATED IN CHINESE LABORATORY…. Two monkeys have been cloned using the technique that produced Dolly the sheep. Identical long-tailed macaques Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua were born several weeks ago at a laboratory in China. Scientists say populations of monkeys that are genetically identical will be useful for research into human diseases. But critics say the work raises ethical concerns by bringing the world closer to human cloning. Qiang Sun of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Neuroscience said the cloned monkeys will be useful as a model for studying diseases with a genetic basis, including some cancers, metabolic and immune disorders. "There are a lot of questions about primate biology that can be studied by having this additional model," he said. Zhong Zhong was born eight weeks ago and Hua Hua six weeks ago. They are named after the Mandarin term for the Chinese nation and people. The researchers say the monkeys are being bottle fed and are currently growing normally. They expect more macaque clones to be born over the coming months.

'DISCO BALL' PUT INTO SPACE FROM NZ…. A highly reflective sphere has been placed in orbit by a New Zealand-launched rocket. Akin to a giant "disco ball", the object should be visible to the naked eye as it sweeps across a twilight sky. It was lofted by American start-up Rocket Lab, whose Electron boosters operate from the North Island. The company said its "Humanity Star" was an attempt to create a shared experience for everyone on Planet Earth. "No matter where you are in the world, or what is happening in your life, everyone will be able to see the Humanity Star in the night sky," said Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck in a statement. "My hope is that all those looking up at it will look past it to the vast expanse of the Universe and think a little differently about their lives, actions and what is important for humanity”.

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, Monday morning… …

Our Tulips today are Queen of the Night and are simply stunning…..

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Monday 29th January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Sunday 28th January 2018

Hello, Good Morning and Welcome….  I’ll let you guess what Sunday was named after. No, go ahead; I’ll wait. Come on…it’s big, gassy, and orange; and it’s not your uncle on Halloween.

GLASGOW PRIMARK SELLING BASEBALL CAPS EMBLAZONED WITH THE WORD ‘HUN’…. A branch of Primark in Glasgow is attracting attention on social media - because of a three-letter word on hats for sale in the store. A tweet by Glasgow-based journalist Aoife-Grace Moore showed a picture of a grey baseball cap with the word ‘Hun’ on the front of it. Ms Moore accompanied her photo with the caption: “Dear Primark Glasgow: This is a very very bad idea.” Although the word is ordinarily recognised as a shortened version of the word ‘honey’, it has an alternative meaning in Glasgow, having been used as a derogatory slur against Protestants and Rangers supporters. In June 2016, fans of the Ibrox club lobbied to make the use of the word in a footballing context a hate crime, and viewed in the same light as ‘fenian’, a derogatory term for Catholics. Research carried out by communications regulator Ofcom later that year deemed ‘hun’ to be inoffensive, describing it as: “Mild language, generally of little concern. However, seen as less acceptable by those familiar with the history and use of the term as a sectarian insult.” However, in 2015, then Celtic striker John Guidetti was charged by the Scottish FA over a TV interview he conducted with a Dutch broadcaster, in which he repeated the words of a song that Celtic supporters had sung which included the term.

PRINCE WILLIAM’S NEW BUZZ CUT ‘COST £180’…. The Duke of Cambridge’s new haircut reportedly cost as much as £180. Members of the public got their first look at Prince William’s closely cropped hair as he launched a health programme at Evelina London Children’s Hospital on Thursday. READ MORE: Meghan Markle gets an apron as first official Royal gift It is understood the heir to the throne, 35, opted for a buzz cut after receiving advice from the Duchess of Cambridge’s hairdresser, Richard Ward. Mr Ward charges a base fee of £125 for a men’s cut and finish, his website states. According to The Sun, the cut was reportedly carried out by Joey Wheeler, one of Mr Ward’s deputies, during a private session at Kensington Palace. Younger brother Prince Harry, 33, has openly joked about William’s receding hairline and once said: “I think he definitely is brainier than I am - but we established that at school, along with his baldness.”

CALLS FOR RETHINK AS HOLYROOD PIGEONS NOW ‘WISE’ TO BIRDS OF PREY…. HOLYROOD bosses have been urged to think again about their decision to spend £80,000 on using birds of prey to scare pigeons away from the Scottish Parliament building over the next five years. Hawks and falcons are brought in regularly to fly over the parliament in a bid to deter pigeons from making it their home – but MSPs claim the pigeons have got wise to the practice and now just wait for the birds to be driven off by their handler before settling back on the roofs and ledges of the £414 million building. The parliament has renewed its maintenance contract – of which the birds of prey are now a part – for another five years with a possible two-year extension. Overall pigeon numbers are thought to have been reduced as far as they are likely to go, but the parliament believes the hawks and falcons are necessary to stop them increasing again. However, Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs, a member of the cross-party animal welfare group at Holyrood, said it was time to reconsider spending so much money on a bird handler coming to Holyrood and flying birds of prey. “I don’t think they have looked at how effective it is actually being,” he said. “For a lot of building users it has become a bit of a joke. The pigeons are sitting up on Arthur’s Seat waiting for him to go away. “The pigeons seem to be quite bright. The effectiveness of him turning up now and again is questionable at least.”

SCOTTISH RESEARCHERS ISSUE QUIDDITCH HEALTH WARNING…. It’s the biggest sport in the wizarding world, but now muggles have been issued with a safety warning. Quidditch, the fictional sport played on broomsticks in the Harry Potter series has found a following among non magic folk (muggles) across the world.  They may not be able to take to the skies like their literary counterparts but the past time is still fraught with hazards, a health study has found. The research - led by Edinburgh University’s medical school - issued a warning about the competitive nature of the game. A paper in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy found it can lead to high rates of concussion among players, prompting experts to draft guidelines to improve the game’s safety. In the fictional version players use flying broomsticks. Quidditch is a fast growing, physically intense, full-contact sport. Originally adapted from JK Rowling’s novels, quidditch was first played in 2005 in the USA but is now played worldwide. Two teams attempt to get a ball, the ‘quaffle’, through tall standing hoops. The game only ends when ends if another ball, the ‘snitch’ is caught. A total of 348 participants of 684 eligible quidditch players responded to the health study. There were 315 injuries reported by 180 athletes in total, an overall incidence of 4.06 injuries per 1,000 hours of play. A statistically significantly different rate of concussion was observed with female athletes in the mixed gender sport sustaining more concussion than males. Over 20 per cent of quidditch injuries reported were described as ‘concussion’.

PETER PAN HOUSE PROJECT FUNDING BID BACKED…. A council has endorsed a bid for a final slice of funding to help create a national centre for children's literature in Dumfries. It has applied for £600,000 to help complete the last phase of conversion work on the Moat Brae mansion. The gardens of the building were credited by JM Barrie for helping to inspire him to write Peter Pan. Dumfries and Galloway Council has already given £500,000 towards the scheme but is seeking further funds. A report to the local authority said £7.4m was now in place towards the major overhaul of the site. However, the additional £600,000 is needed to complete the project. The Scottish government's Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) has been identified as a potential source of funding but it is only open to local authority applications. The council has submitted a bid with the outcome expected to be known by March. If it is successful, the local authority will be required to monitor the project and submit a post-completion evaluation of the scheme. It has therefore agreed to update its service level agreement with the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust should the funding bid be approved.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today..It was bitterly cold when Derek Coull photographed the sunrise at Aberdeen beach on Tuesday. Within hours it was snowing, he said.

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Sunday 28th January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Sunday 28th January 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  Bit of a struggle this morning to get up and take my Bella for her early morning walk.. finally yesterday I gave in and went to the Doctor’s ,, the young man diagnosed “Flu” which is what we all thought it was.. but unlike me he had a white coat and a stethoscope round his neck, so his diagnosis was the right one.. Rest, Liquids, and no effort.. I told him, where do I find a job like that.. I’m married with two children …..  

DRIVER CAUGHT WITH SHED BALANCED ON CAR IN NEWTON ABBOT DEVON ENGLAND…. A motorist has been caught by police driving with a shed balanced on a car roof. Devon and Cornwall Police said the car was spotted driving in Newton Abbot town centre on Saturday with the shed held in place "with a single rope and no roof rack". Sgt Olly Tayler tweeted that it "could have ended far worse than a ticket for an insecure load". The driver was issued with a fixed penalty notice. Sgt Tayler tweeted that he "didn't quite believe" what he had seen, and added: "If you're carrying a load on your vehicle please make sure it's secure."

AUSTRALIA SCHOOLGIRL LEFT IN LOCKED BUS FOR HOURS…. Australian authorities are investigating how a five-year-old girl was left locked on board a school bus for more than four hours. Alyssa Jade, five, was reported missing when she failed to return from her first day of school in Queensland. She was found about 19:00 local time on Monday (09:00 GMT) at a bus depot after a cleaner heard her "banging on the door", police said. They said she was in good health despite the scare. Bobbie Langdon wrote on Facebook that her daughter had been "petrified" during the ordeal in Logan City, 45km (27 miles) south of Brisbane. Police said the girl had fallen asleep in the back of the bus and had failed to draw the attention of the driver who drove to the depot thinking he had no remaining passengers. "She wasn't in clear view of the driver or other passengers," Detective Inspector Mark White told the BBC. He warned people to be mindful of young children at the start of a new school year… Just a thought, don’t they count them on and off?

ANGER OVER 'STINKING SEAWEED' IN EMSWORTH STREET HAMPSHIRE ENGLAND…. Piles of "stinking seaweed" from winter storms are being removed from the streets of a coastal town after residents claimed they had been left there for almost three weeks. The seaweed washed onto King Street, Emsworth from Chichester Harbour. Resident Brian Sims said it was a "disgrace" it was still there, despite him making eight calls to the council. Havant Borough Council said its contractors did not have a record of any complaints to its hotline. After being contacted by the BBC, a council spokesman said contactor Norse South East would be removing the seaweed. Contractors began work to move it on Monday afternoon. The seaweed was washed ashore along with other debris during Storm Eleanor on 2 January. Mr Sims said the smell was "very unpleasant". "I have tried moving this health and safety hazard myself, but being in my 70s found it too much," "This stinking pile still blocks our road. It's frustrating and worrying - if an emergency vehicle had to come down here, and there are a lot of elderly people living on this street, it would battle to get through," he added…. I think I would prefer to live next door to the seaweed myself….

ZIMBABWE FAMILY LEAVE BANGKOK AIRPORT AFTER THREE MONTHS…. If you've ever complained about being forced to sleep in an airport after a delay, spare a thought for one Zimbabwean family who have finally left Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport where they've lived for the past three months. The family - four children under the age of 11 and four adults - first arrived in Bangkok in May. When they tried to leave in October for Spain, they didn't have the right visas. They couldn't legally re-enter Thailand as they'd overstayed their tourist visas and had to pay a fine. But they said they could not return to Zimbabwe because they faced persecution. The family asked for assistance from the UN, saying they feared persecution in Zimbabwe after the November unrest which saw the removal of long-term leader Robert Mugabe. The UN said a the time that it was "exploring options". Thailand does not provide legal status to refugees and asylum seekers. Meanwhile, the family stayed inside the departure area, being looked after by airport staff. According to a Thai immigration bureau spokesman, they finally left Bangkok on Monday afternoon.

CHINESE STAFF PAID IN BRICKS TO TOP UP UNPAID WAGES…. Employees at a brick factory in southeast China who were collectively owed some 90,000 yuan (US $14,050; £10,080) had their unpaid wages topped up in bricks, it's reported. According to the Xinhua News Agency, some 30 factory workers in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, agreed to receive 290,000 bricks in exchange for 80,000 yuan of their owed earnings. Jiangxi Daily reports that the workers, all of whom were migrants, came from mountainous regions of Yunnan province in the southwest, and had no choice but to live "by candlelight, with wood fire heating". After their local labour department intervened with the help of the courts, the employees agreed to receive bricks from the factory in exchange for their unpaid earnings. Xinhua says that their employer, who has not been named by local media, is still trying to figure out a way to repay staff the remaining 10,000 yuan that they are owed… Well that’s the final story cemented firmly into place…

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, Sunday morning… …

Our Tulips today are very colourful…..

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Sunday 28th January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – Archaeology News From Scotland

Friday 26th January 2018

Hello, Good Morning and Welcome….  Long before Rebecca Black turned it into something twisted and auto-tuned, Friday was devoted to the Germanic female goddess alternately referred to as Freyja, Frigg, or Frijjo. If Friday is your favorite day of the week, it could be because this goddess was associated with beauty and love. The ancient names for Friday share roots with the words “friends” and “freedom,” which makes it the perfect day to kick-off a weekend of fun, fun, fun, fun…. And archaeology…

ANCIENT FORTRESS INVESTIGATED IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS…. INVERNESS, SCOTLAND—The Herald reports that a broch, or roundhouse, in Comar Wood has been dated to 2,400 years ago. The stone building is thought to have been the home of a local chief or lord which was taken over by local people who used it intermittently as a defensive structure. Researchers from AOC Archaeology also recovered traces of metalworking and stones for grinding grain. They said the structure had been burned down twice and rebuilt over a period of 600 years before it was finally abandoned. “We don’t know why it was used in the way it appears to have been,” said archaeologist Mary Peteranna. “More excavation would be needed to further investigate the site.

ANALYSIS OF CHARCOAL FROM SCOTLAND’S MONASTERY ISLAND OF IONA…. IONA ABBEY, SCOTLAND—Analysis of charcoal from Scotland’s monastery island of Iona has concluded that a wooden hut often associated with Saint Columba indeed dates to his lifetime in the late sixth century. Columba, an Irish abbot and missionary, was a dominant force in the spread of Christianity throughout Scotland. He founded the monastery on Iona, which stood as a bastion of literacy and scholarship for centuries and attracted legions of pilgrims until Catholic Mass was made illegal during the Reformation in the sixteenth century. Originally uncovered in the 1950s by archaeologists Charles Thomas, Peter Fowler, and Elizabeth Fowler, the charcoal comes from an ash layer of Tórr an Abba, or “Mound of the Abbot,” on the monastery’s grounds. While the three scholars believed they had found evidence of Columba’s cell, which appears to have been turned into a monument not long after his death in 597, they were never able to prove it.

MEET THE ROMANS, CELTS AND COVENANTERS ON A NEW TRAIL IN MOTHERWELL LANARKSHIRE — Lanarkshire Provost, Jean Jones, opened a new Local Landscape Heroes heritage trail at the refurbished Roman Bathhouse at Strathclyde Country Park, on Friday 8 of December at 11am. The trail forms part of the CAVLP Heritage Project, Local Landscape Heroes, which celebrates the people and communities that have shaped and been inspired by the landscape of the Clyde and Avon Valley over the millennia. The trail takes walkers past some of the most significant historical features in North Lanarkshire, including the Roman Baths at Strathclyde Park, Clyde Bridge, Dalzell Estate and St Patricks Kirkyard. It will help users learn about the people and communities that built or were associated with these important historical places, such as the Romans, the ancient Celts and the Covenanters, as well as more recent Local Landscape Heroes, such as Phoenix Futures. View the trail online at http://www.clydeandavonvalley.org/explore

STOBS MILITARY CAMP— HAWICK SCOTTISH BORDERS, For nearly 60 years, thousands of young men used the facilities at Stobs Camp near Hawick in the Scottish Borders to train for war. Now the bleak, windswept hills lie as silent witnesses to all that passed before them. Stobs Camp has significant historical importance with its quality of remains, intact training ground, massive archaeological potential and huge educational resource. Due to its extraordinary level of preservation Stobs Camp is an internationally important site relating to Scotland’s preparation for and subsequent handling of First World War prisoners. Within Scotland no site exists with the mix of army training camp and prisoners of war and internees in one place, none has the surviving remains visible as at Stobs, no other camp has any standing buildings and much of the training ground including firing ranges and trenches surviving. And within the UK, no First World War prisoner of war camp has upstanding buildings remaining, no internees’ camp survives on the mainland, and no training camps survive to the same level of preservation.

STUDY LINKS NEOLITHIC WEAPONS TO INJURIES—THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND…. PhD candidate Meaghan Dyer and Dr Linda Fibiger have demonstrated, for the first time, that it is possible to identify blunt force weapons from the European Neolithic by injuries left. (Published 7 December, 2017) Experimental work by PhD candidate Meaghan Dyer and Dr Linda Fibiger in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, has for the first time been used to test weapons in the Neolithic. Using synthetic models of the human head and a club modelled on the 'Thames Beater' - a fourth century BC wooden club found in London’s River Thames in the early 1990s (right) - the project replicated real-world scenarios of violence and looked at the potential results of this tool when it was used as a weapon, producing a near perfect match to trauma found on an adult male skull from the site of Asparn/Schletz in Austria. Meaghan Dyer, PhD candidate, said, 'This is the first study of its kind to demonstrate that it is possible to identify blunt force weapons from the European Neolithic, and provides valuable insight into violent interactions and the social complexities of human prehistory.' Meaghan and Linda's paper, 'Understanding blunt force trauma and violence in Neolithic Europe: The first experiments using a skin-skull-brain model and the Thames Beater' is published in the current issue of 'Antiquity', (360,  1515-28) and can be read and downloaded via Edinburgh Research Explorer, below. 'Understanding blunt force trauma ...': www.research.ed.ac.uk

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the archaeology news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is of the Standing Stones of Stenness..

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Friday 26th January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Friday 26th January 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  Clear. Cold morning with Stars as far as the eye can see, the Moon is in its waxing phase, but it doesn’t affect the view still more Diamonds to be seen than can be found on the “Soles of Her Shoes” (  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_T3XvzPaM ) Bella and I walk towards the beach, the silence of the early morning our companion, the town is recumbent in the arms of Hypnos, she has wrapped the people in her comfort, she must have missed me, We stand and gaze at the ocean and I imagine days of yore when Barbary Pirates controlled these waters, Bella pulls time to go, she’s feeling hungry and I could do with a cup of Java… Wishing you all a great day…

DRIED FLOWER MAY BE LINKED TO PRESIDENT LINCOLN…. SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS—The Illinois News Network reports that a dried rose discovered in a box of artifacts at the Will County Historical Society may have adorned the funeral bier of Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C., in April 1865. Sandy Vasko, director of the historical society, said she thinks the flower had been given to General Isham Haynie of Illinois, who was a friend of Lincoln’s and may have been by his bedside when he died of a gunshot wound. General Haynie is thought to have given the rose to Mrs. James G. Elwood, whose husband was mayor of Joliet, Illinois. Elwood’s possessions were given to the historical society and stored away after it moved to its current building in 1971. The delicate dried flower will be put on limited display. Vasko added that the only other known flowers from Lincoln’s funeral are held in the Library of Congress.

ROCK-HEWN TOMBS UNCOVERED IN NORTHERN EGYPT…. NEW ALAMEIN CITY, EGYPT—According to a report in Ahram Online, a first- or second-century tomb containing several burial cavities has been discovered at the site of Al-Alamein on Egypt’s northern coast. Naema Sanad, director of the site, said there is a rock-cut staircase leading to the tomb’s main chamber. Its southern wall had been decorated with a Greek “welfare horn” adorned with flowers and leaves. Coins, pottery, and lamps have also been found.

EARLY BRONZE AGE ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIED IN GREECE…. CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND—According to a report in The Guardian, an international team of researchers has uncovered drainage tunnels and metal workshops on the small island of Dhaskalio, which was first modified by people more than 4,000 years ago. Back then, the island was a heavily populated promontory connected to the Cycladic island of Keros—and its prehistoric sanctuary—by a narrow causeway. A network of terraces and stairways was carved into the surface of the pyramid-shaped promontory, which was then covered with white stone imported from Naxos. “What we are seeing here with the metalworking and in other ways is the beginnings of urbanization,” explained Michael Boyd of the University of Cambridge. Colin Renfrew, also of the University of Cambridge, suggests the development of the site may have been spurred by its expansive views of the Aegean Sea and by the fact that it had the best harbor on Keros. Traces of grains, grapes, olives, figs, almonds, and pulses have been found in the soil on Dhaskalio. Much of the food is thought to have been imported. The drainage system may have been used to pipe in fresh water or to carry away sewage.

NORWAY’S STONE AGE HOUSES STUDIED…. TRONDHEIM, NORWAY—Silje Fretheim of Norwegian University of Science and Technology analyzed the excavation of 150 well-preserved Stone Age dwellings in Norway and found that some Mesolithic hunter-gatherers built pit houses that were maintained for 1,000 years. According to a report in Science Nordic, the earliest traces of homes are small rings of stones that secured tent flaps made of animal skins, and cleared surfaces with areas of debris from stone tool construction. Fretheim thinks hunter-gatherers traveled with these small tents. Then, some 9,500 years ago, as the ice retreated and sea levels along the coast stabilized, people began to build pit houses with frameworks of wood and turf that were slightly larger than the tents. These larger dwellings may have been shared by larger family groups. Some of the pit houses were abandoned for a time and then reused over a period of more than 1,000 years. Fretheim suggests people placed the houses in areas supported by good fishing and hunting conditions because they recognized good places to live.

EXPLORERS FIND UNDERWATER ROUTE CONNECTING MAYA CENOTES…. TULUM, MEXICO—Telesur reports that researchers from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History have discovered a route through underwater limestone caves connecting the Sac Actun cenote and the Dos Ojos cenote. Maya pottery, human bones, and the bones of elephant-like creatures, giant sloths, bears, tigers, and extinct species of horses have been found in the tunnel-like caves, which range in width from 400 feet to just three feet. “This immense cave represents the most important submerged archaeological site in the world,” said Guillermo de Anda, director of the study. It is not yet clear how the Maya artifacts came to rest in the caves.

TRACES OF MEDIEVAL CASTLE UNCOVERED IN IRELAND…. GALWAY, IRELAND—The Irish Times reports that limestone walls uncovered in Galway during the restoration of a fifteenth-century manor house may be part of a castle built in 1232. Called the castle of Bungalvy, the structure was built on the banks of the Corrib River by the De Burgos, an Anglo-Norman family credited with founding the port city. Charcoal deposits at the site could mark the fires that damaged the castle in 1233 and 1247. In the late thirteenth century, stone from the castle is thought to have been used to construct the nearby Red Earl’s house, which acted as a courthouse and was used by the De Burgos to collect taxes and host banquets. The De Burgos are thought to have constructed the castle at the site of a wooden defensive structure that had been built by the Gaelic O’Flaherty clan in 1124.

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, Friday morning… …

Our Tulips today are simple still life in a window area.. …..

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Friday 26th January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Wednesday 24th January 2018

Hello, Good Morning and Welcome….  Go see the Thor movie in theaters and you’ll catch a glimpse of Anthony Hopkins as daddy-god Odin a.k.a “Wodin.” Odin had different meaning for each culture that worshipped him, but he was widely considered to be the father of many other Norse Gods. So Wednesday was named after Anthony Hopkins.

FENCE STOPS RUNAWAY LORRY AS IT PLOUGHS DOWN ICY STREET…. A runaway lorry ploughed into a car and a van as it slid down a icy street before smashing into a fence. Dramatic footage of the incident in Glenmavis, North Lanarkshire shows the vehicle careering down a hill after crashing into a car and a van It is understood two workmen got out to help clear the road when their own vehicle started moving. A pedestrian can be seen running for safety before the truck hits a fence and takes out a street light. An eyewitness said: "If the truck had not hit the fence then it would have resulted in fatalities. "It was gathering speed and there was a bus stopped at the bottom of the hill. "There was also traffic queuing to get up the hill as the road had been blocked for about 15 minutes." The incident unfolded on Coatbridge Road after the truck drove down Raebog Road. The witness said: "The two men in the truck got out to help a car and a van which had crashed due to the treacherous conditions. "People were also trying to move a third vehicle which was stuck at the side of the road. "About 30 seconds later the truck took off on its own. "The road was really slidy and it was frightening to watch." A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "No one was injured. "The driver was not charged."

BRUSHING ONLY PARTLY PROTECTS CHILDREN'S TEETH…. Tooth brushing only partly protects against the effects of sugary snacks on children's teeth, research suggests. A study of almost 4,000 pre-school children showed snacking habits were most strongly associated with decay. Researchers found children who snacked all day - compared with just eating meals - were far more likely to have dental decay. The study shows that relying on tooth brushing alone to ward off dental decay in children under five is not enough. The study also said parental socioeconomic factors, such as the mother's education level, explained more of the difference in children's dental decay than diet or oral hygiene. The researchers said that even though primary teeth were temporary, "good oral hygiene habits are set in childhood, and this relates both to diet and tooth brushing". Social scientists from the University's of Edinburgh and Glasgow used statistical models and survey data to predict dental decay by the age of five.

DRUG DEALER JAILED AFTER £230,000 'DIRTY MONEY' SWOOP…. A man involved in transporting almost £230,000 of "dirty money" has been jailed for four years. Kevin Kelly, 47, had left Scotland for Portugal shortly after the crime in October 2014 but was arrested last year when he returned for a family wedding. He was held after a large sum of cash from a cannabis deal had earlier been seized by police. Kelly was jailed for six years in 1995 for dealing ecstasy and cannabis. And he hit the headlines in 2012 when he was abducted and held captive by a gang on the Costa del Sol. BBC Scotland understands the kidnap was ordered by Dublin-born crime lord Christy Kinahan over a drug debt.

PLEDGE ON FIXING HARRIS' 'PROBLEM' CASH MACHINE…. A cash machine company has said it is committed to fixing a machine in the Western Isles at the centre of repeated complaints about it being out of order. The machine is one of two on Harris and the only one available 24 hours a day, as the other is limited to the opening hours of the shop it is in. Tarbert's machine is frequently out of order, including 10 days in December and eight in January, say customers. Operator Cardtronics said it "fast-tracked" the latest repairs. A spokesperson for the company said: "The team at Cardtronics has been in close, constant contact with a number of local community representatives over the last few weeks. "We have fast-tracked the repair of this machine in order to restore it to full working order. "We know how important it is for the local community on the Isle of Harris to have convenient access to cash and commit to keeping a close eye on this machine to ensure it continues to provide this vital service." The island's other cash machine is in a shop in Leverburgh. Western Isles SNP MP Angus MacNeil said the Tarbert machine provided an important service to islanders and tourists. He said Harris needed an "improved and more consistent level of service".

NUDE PHOTO CASE TO BE HEARD IN SCOTLAND…. An English photographer who claims his reputation was damaged in a row over a nude photo shoot in a Scottish castle has been told to fight his £50,000 case north of the border. Howard Kennedy and his wife Karen took a series of shots at 17th Century Craigievar Castle, near Alford in Aberdeenshire, in 2012. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) later said it was "unauthorised". At London's High Court, it was ruled the action should be heard in Scotland. Mr Kennedy argues he agreed a contract to shoot at the castle with a member of NTS staff and paid £200. The pictures of model Rachelle Summers came to the attention of Gabriel Forbes-Sempill, the daughter of Lord Sempill who had gifted the castle to NTS in 1963. Mr Kennedy now claims a statement NTS put out in response to Ms Forbes-Sempill's outcry was libellous. He wanted his claim heard at the High Court in London. At the High Court, Sir David Eady accepted that the £50,000 damages claim had been validly served on the trust at its Edinburgh head office but went on to reject the bid to have the case heard in England. He said: "Scotland has its own methods of dealing with such matters based on its long experience", adding that a Scottish Sheriff court was "the natural forum" in which the case should be heard. The legal system north of the border was "more than capable of providing substantial justice in this dispute" and the Scottish courts were "better suited" to dealing with the case. Given the dispute's "real and substantial connections" to Scotland, he said Mr Kennedy faced an "impossible task" in showing that it would be right to hear the case in England.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is of Edinburgh.. and what a beautiful city it is….

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Wednesday 24th January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Wednesday 24th January 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  From all of the IM’s that I received yesterday, some of you didn’t understand what I wrote so let’s have a better explanation, here goes… When we are on a smoothly riding train, we sometimes get the illusion that the train is standing still and the trees or buildings are moving backwards. In the same way, because we "ride" with the spinning Earth, it appears to us that the Sun and the stars are the ones doing the moving as day and night alternate. But actually, it is our planet that turns on its axis once a day -- and all of us who live on the Earth's surface are moving with it. How fast do we turn?

To make one complete rotation in 24 hours, a point near the equator of the Earth must move at close to 1000 miles per hour (1600 km/hr). The speed gets less as you move north, but it's still a good clip throughout the United States. Because gravity holds us tight to the surface of our planet, we move with the Earth and don't notice its rotation1 in everyday life.

The great circular streams of water in our oceans and of air in our atmosphere give dramatic testimony to the turning of the Earth. As the Earth turns, with faster motion at the equator and slower motion near the poles, great wheels of water and air circulate in the northern and southern hemisphere. For example, the Gulf Stream, which carries warm water from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to Great Britain, and makes England warmer and wetter than it otherwise would be, is part of the great wheel of water in the North Atlantic Ocean. The wheel (or gyre) that the Gulf Stream is part of contains more water than all the rivers of the world put together. It is circulated by the energy of our turning planet…. OK was that better .. I hope it was because tomorrow I am going to blow your socks off with how fast the Milky Way is travelling….

SRI LANKA APPEALS TO RUSSIA TO LIFT TEMPORARY TEA BAN…. Sri Lanka is making a special appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin to remove a ban on Ceylon tea. Two ministers are leading a delegation to Moscow to request the suspension on Sri Lankan tea imports is lifted. Imports were halted last week after Russia found an insect known as the Khapra beetle in a tea consignment from Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is determined to settle the issue as it maintains the discovery was an "isolated incident". It is not clear whether the beetle, a known pest of rice and grain crops, was found alive or dead. President Maithripala Sirisena has urged Sri Lankan tea farmers not to panic, assuring them that the government would take necessary steps to settle the issue. Mr Sirisena told a rally on Sunday that he was optimistic that "as a friendly country", Russia would help Sri Lanka. Plantation Minister Navin Dissanayake and Industry Minister Rishad Bathiudeen are leading the special delegation to Moscow to reassure the Russian government. Russia is one of the biggest importers of Sri Lankan tea, which accounts for nearly a quarter of its $436m (£326m) market. Sri Lanka has insisted that a thorough investigation will be carried out and that punitive measures will be taken against anyone found guilty of tampering with its consignment.

INTERJET'S GROUNDED SUKOI SUPERJETS IN MEXICO BEING USED FOR SPARE PARTS…. In cavernous jet hangars in and around Mexico City, Interjet has a secret. Four of the Mexican airline's Sukhoi Superjet 100s - out of a fleet of 22 - have been grounded for at least five months because of engine maintenance delays. The Russian-made aircraft, which average just four years old, are now being cannibalised, an industry term for when a plane is slowly scrapped for parts to keep other jets running. A grounded plane is a wasted plane, and Interjet's offline aircraft are symbolic of an airline that's veered off course. Once one of Mexico's hopefuls to bring a new era of competition to the industry, Interjet has muddled along with a questionable strategy while more nimble rivals have appeared on the scene. Now, the stranded Sukhoi Superjets are adding to concerns about whether ABC Aerolineas, the company's formal name, will ever thrive.

JAPANESE TRAIN BARKS LIKE A DOG TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS…. Researchers in Japan have fitted a train with a speaker that barks like a dog and snorts like a deer in order to prevent collisions on the railway. Tokyo's Asahi Shimbun newspaper reports that the combination of sounds is designed to scare deer away from the tracks in a bid to reduce the number of animal deaths on the railway. Officials from the Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI) say that a three-second blast of the sound of a deer snorting attracts the animals' attention, and 20 seconds of dog barking is enough to make them take flight. RTRI researchers say the late-night tests, at times when deer congregate around railway tracks, have resulted in a halving of deer sightings. If proved to be effective, future plans include static barking sites where deer are commonly seen, but "the noises will not be blared in areas where people live beside the tracks".

FIRST RETIRED A380 SUPERJUMBO PARKED AT TARMAC AEROSAVE AWAITING SALE OR SCRAP…. The first Airbus superjumbo to exit service will be stored minus its engines at a French airfieldas its owner seeks a new operator for a plane that while still relatively young in industry terms has fallen out of favour with airlines. The A380 will be returned to leasing firm Dr. Peters after 10 years of service with Singapore Airlines, the model's first customer. With Airbus struggling to win orders for the double-decker and no second-hand market established, the aircraft will be parked at Tarbes in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. Dr. Peters, which owns four Singapore A380s, said that talks with potential new users of the aircraft continue and that it remains "optimistic" about agreeing a deal. At the same time, the jet's engines will be removed and returned to manufacturer Rolls-Royce for rental to other operators in a move that may buy the plane time or prove a prelude to its scrapping. The lessor used to get $US1.7 million ($A2.23 million) a month for the wide-body, whereas the Rolls deal will bring in $US480,000, offset by $US94,000 for storage and insurance. Storing an A380 with no new operator in sight represents a setback for Airbus as it seeks to save the program through the sale of about 20 new planes to Emirates, the largest operator of the model.

CHINA EXAM TESTS STUDENTS ON TEACHER NAMES…. A Chinese college has reportedly raised eyebrows after it including an unusual question on its final exams - asking students whether they could identify their teacher. According to China Youth Daily, students at the Sichuan Vocational College of Culture and Communication were handed papers with photos of seven people during their exams, and asked to select their teacher and write their name underneath. Those who were able to identify their teacher did not get any extra marks, but students were severely penalised if they answered incorrectly, having 41 points deducted from their final score. China Daily says that the identity test accounted for 30% of their overall grade. Hu Teng, a teacher at the institute, told Beijing broadcaster BTime that it was the first time such a question had been introduced in a class. "The original intention of this was to assess students' general attitude towards study," he said. "We wanted to see whether students have worked hard in class… and whether they have been paying attention to details. "If they can't even remember their teacher's name, then they clearly have no interest in the curriculum." The test has attracted considerable attention on Chinese social media.

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, Wednesday morning… …

Our Tulips today are perfect…..

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Wednesday 24th January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Tuesday 23rd January 2018

Hello, Good Morning and Welcome…. Tuesday gets its name from a god alternately called “Tyr, Tiwaz, or Teiws” (Love to hear that with a Scoits accent!) depending on what ancient Germanic people you spoke with. If you’re ever in a fightin’ mood on Tuesday, it could be because Tyr is the German version of Mars, the Roman god of war....

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED…. The birth of the martial eagle, which is usually found in Sub-Saharan Africa, is incredibly rare and being born in Scotland.. even rarer. The Martial eagle is one of the largest and most powerful species of eagle in the world with its wingspan expected to grow up to 8ft6in in length. But the chick is still the size of an orange and has only just been reunited with its parents. Hatching is one of the most precarious moments in a bird's life and handlers at the centre assisted in helping the bird out of the egg. The chick will be monitored by CCTV for the next nine months and will be raised naturally by its parents Napoleon and Josephine. Falconer Roxanne Peggie said the birth on UK soil of the martial eagle, usually found in Sub-Saharan Africa, is very rare. She said: "The young bird won't see another human face for the next nine months. "We'll monitor him by CCTV while his parents raise him naturally in the daylight seclusion aviary. "We won't name him until he's much older and shows signs of a defining characteristic. "You can count on one hand the number of eagles of this species that have been born in the UK. It's very rare."

WOMAN WHO STABBED BOYFRIEND WITH STEAK KNIFE AS HE TIDIED THEIR FLAT WALKS FREE FROM COURT…. A woman who knifed her boyfriend as he tidied their flat following a late-night bust up yesterday walked free from court . Anna Byrne went out for dinner with then-partner Elliot Stewart, her father and step-mother in Dundee city centre. Later in the evening the couple began to argue over Byrne's excessive drinking and Elliot left her at home for two hours to cool down. When he returned at 1am he began to tidy up as he tried to placate her anger. Fiscal depute Charmaine Gilmartin told Dundee Sheriff Court: "As he picked up a book on the floor he felt a sharp pain and saw her holding a steak knife with a serrated edge." But despite the "serious" attack, Byrne avoided a jail term yesterday. Byrne, 24, of Dundee, pleaded guilty on indictment to a charge of assault to severe injury committed on March 20 this year. Defence solicitor Nicola Brown said: "The background reports put the commission of this offence into some kind of context. "She was taking anti-depressants but was also continuing to use alcohol which led to a loss of perception. "Her perception at the time was that the complainer was the best possible partner she could ever have. "She now recognises that it wasn't the best relationship for her and there was a lack of support for her in it."

BESOTTED MUM BOMBARDED PARISH PRIEST WITH X-RATED EMAILS AND HECKLED HIM DURING SUNDAY MASS…. A mum who bombarded her parish priest with X-rated emails during a stalking campaign has been banned from contacting him. Besotted Claire Timpson, 44, said she loved the clergyman and repeatedly turned up at his house. She sent him a total of 48 emails – many of which were sexually explicit – telling him she wanted to be in a relationship with him. At Hamilton Sheriff Court, Timpson admitted stalking between August 2016 and last June. She was put under supervision for three years and banned from contacting the priest for the same period. The court heard Timpson of Motherwell, also turned up at the priest’s house uninvited. Sheriff Marie Smart said some of the emails were “offensive”. But she said it was not necessary to add Timpson’s named to the sex offender’s register. Ian Scott, defending, said: “This was an entirely isolated incident and out of character.”

SERVICEMAN WHO DROVE AT ALMOST 130MPH THROUGH RENFREWSHIRE IS FACING AXE FROM THE ARMY…. An army driver who led cops on a 129mph motorway chase through Renfrewshire faces being stripped of his military career. Warrant Officer George Gray, 36, overtook cars on the inside lane, swerved between lanes and even “bullied another car out of the way” on the A8 and M8. Officers first noticed dad-of-two Gray’s black Toyoya Avensis as it shot past them, overtaking other vehicles on the inside. When they first clocked speeding Gray he was doing 79mph before putting his foot to the floor. As motorway cops in an unmarked car chased after him, he continued to speed up until he reached a terrifying 129mph. The court was told that Gray reached his highest speed as he travelled through the off ramp roadworks for Bishopton and Erskine on September 4. Chasing cops had to activate their sirens to being an end to the high-speed pursuit. Paisley Sheriff Court heard Gray pleaded guilty to charges of driving dangerously and driving at excessive speed, passing cars on the inside and failing to maintain lane discipline, when appeared for sentence yesterday. Defence agent Zarah Ahmad said the Gray’s partner had phoned him because she was having problems with their daughter and he believed he was dealing with a family emergency. “He takes full responsibility for the offence. He was fully aware of the risks he was taking and he is appalled at his behaviour. He has been in the army for 18 years and has enormous experience of advanced driving during his military career.”

SCOTS ANIMAL LOVER TRAVELS TWICE AROUND THE WORLD SAVING THOUSANDS OF ABANDONED DOGS…. A Scots animal lover covered the equivalent of going twice around the world last year as she saved thousands of abandoned dogs in Spain. Once a month, Jenn Johnson makes the 36-hour, 4000-mile round trip from her home in Nairn to Murcia to spend three days caring for rescue dogs. That works out at about 48,000 miles of driving a year, enough to take her twice around the globe. She helps out at two animal refuges and takes many of the lost dogs back to new homes in Scotland. While in Spain, she supports her pal Karin Patrick and her husband Neil, who run a dog charity after moving to Murcia eight years ago. Jenn, who is DEFRA-registered for pet transport, advertises the plight of the dogs on her Facebook page. “We are always looking for new homes for our dogs as well as donations and anyone who would like to help the rescued dogs by spending a week in a beautiful part of Spain can contact me through my Facebook page – Jenn Johnson (Scottish Spanish Dog Rescue).”

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is of Dog's best friend Jenn Johnson, who travels from her home in Nairn to Spain to look after rescue pups 

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Tuesday 23rd January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Tuesday 23rd January 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader…. Where ever you are, on this little blue planet we call home, as we spin endlessly through space and time, bound for I know not where… have you ever really thought about it? We are Space Traveler’s, nothing fictional about that statement, so let us look at actually how fast we are going, and Fred, I’m not going to slow down because you don’t like going to fast…. To make one complete rotation in 24 hours, a point near the equator of the Earth must move at close to 1000 miles per hour (1600 km/hr). The speed gets less as you move north, but it's still a good clip throughout the United States… Well that’s interesting information that you didn’t really need to know, so I thought we could have some more tomorrow…

BAYEUX TAPESTRY TO BE DISPLAYED IN UK FOR THE FIRST TIME…. The Bayeux Tapestry is set to be displayed in the UK after France agreed it could leave its shores for the first time in 950 years, the BBC understands. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce the loan during his visit to the UK on Thursday. The Times said it could be five years before the tapestry - which depicts the Norman Conquest of England - arrives. The paper said the loan was subject to the outcome of tests to make sure the 11th Century artwork was safe to move. The tapestry tells the story of the future William I's conquest of England, culminating in the Battle of Hastings and the defeat of Harold in 1066. It is on permanent display at a museum in the town of Bayeux, in Normandy, and has very rarely been moved. However, President Macron is expected to announce the proposed loan at a meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May in the UK this week. The Times said the agreement was made after "months of talks between culture department officials in London and Paris". Officials have not yet decided where the tapestry will be displayed in the UK, the paper added.

THE SWIMWEAR COMPANY SELLING COLOMBIA TO THE WORLD…. Catalina Alvarez was visiting her father's clothing factory when she saw a box of brightly-coloured cloth samples in a rubbish bin. The small sheets of material may have been rejected by her dad, but for Catalina they immediately sparked the idea for a business. "For me it was like 'wow', I have found treasure, because I knew all the things I could do with these little pieces of fabric," she says. Excited, the fashion design student in the Colombian city of Medellin phoned her classmate Mariana Hinestroza to share her vision. The pair were soon sat at Catalina's grandmother's sewing machine, piecing the scraps into bikinis. It was back in 2003 and Catalina and Mariana were both 22. Fast-forward to 2018 and their company - Agua Bendita (Holy Water) - sells its kaleidoscopic women's swimwear to 60 countries, with annual revenues of $7.5m (£5.4m).

JORDAN URGED TO END ANIMAL MISTREATMENT AT PETRA SITE…. Animal rights group Peta has launched an international campaign to try to end the mistreatment of working animals in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. Peta says donkeys, horses and camels are beaten and forced to carry visitors in extreme heat without shade or water. Jordanian and international groups say they are already working with the animals' owners to improve conditions. They fear warning off tourists could prove counter-productive by depriving the animals' owners of income. Petra is one of the wonders of the world. Carved out of rock, the sudden entrance into the ancient Nabatean city through a narrow passage is breathtaking. It is the crown jewel of the Jordanian tourist industry. But there has long been concern about the treatment of the more than 1,300 working animals there.

MILKSHAKE DUCK: THE AUSTRALIAN WORD THAT WENT 'UNIVERSAL'…. Defeated by "youthquake" to be Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year, "milkshake duck" has - perhaps fittingly - won some redemption. The term denotes someone who gains widespread positive attention, only to be suddenly criticised when new information is made public. The debate typically happens online. Despite famous US examples, milkshake duck was named Macquarie Dictionary's word of 2017 on Monday - highlighting its Australian origins. Macquarie Dictionary, considered an authority on Australian English, attributed the term to a 2016 viral tweet by Ben Ward, a local cartoonist. Mr Ward created the character of "Milkshake Duck" to amusingly describe debates online. Despite some Australian news outlets querying whether the term was well known, the dictionary said it was an "absolute winner". "There is a hint of tall poppy syndrome in there, which we always thought was a uniquely Australian trait, but has been amplified through the internet and become universalised," it said. The word youthquake, describing young people who drive political change, beat five contenders including milkshake duck to be Oxford Dictionaries' 2017 favourite. Last month, the Australian National Dictionary Centre selected the word "kwaussie" - a hybrid of Kiwi and Aussie - as its word of the year.

SEVEN-YEAR-OLD DELIVERY BOY CAUSES OUTRAGE IN CHINA…. The story of a seven-year-old orphan working as a delivery boy in China has ignited a debate about child poverty and access to education in the country. A video, posted on the Pear Video website, shows the young boy - nicknamed "Little Li" by social media users - delivering parcels in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao. It has been viewed 18 million times. Pear Video reports Little Li was orphaned after his father passed away and his mother remarried and lost contact with him. The seven-year-old has been living with his father's friend since the age of three. Little Li's guardian works as a courier and began bringing the boy on his rounds after moving him from a rural area of Shandong province. The boy now carries out deliveries alone. The story has been one of the most discussed trends on China's Twitter-like social media platform Sina Weibo. The reaction to the video from those online has been overwhelmingly sympathetic with many users concerned for the wellbeing of the boy and wishing Little Li a "better life". One user expressed their sadness at the effect the break-up of the seven-year-old's family had had: "Family problems always affect the children the most."

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, Tuesday morning… …

Our Tulips today are simply stunning in Pink...…..

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Tuesday 23rd January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Monday 22nd January 2018

Hello, Good Morning and Welcome….  Just for something different, I’m going to look at the roots of our days.. and see where they came from, the smart ones among you will already know, but I’m not smart so I had to have a look…  Monday in Middle English was called Monenday, which means “Moon Day.” Why it was changed to Monday is anyone’s guess, because Monenday sounds like the perfect name for a day that starts the work week.

SCOTTISH M&S TOLD WOMAN WHO COMPLAINED ‘SCOTLAND IS PART OF ENGLAND NOW’…. A woman who complained about Scotch whisky being branded British to Marks & Spencer in Scotland was told to accept the independence result and recognise that ‘Scotland is part of England’. The retail giant has now apologised to Edith Davidson, who lives in Innerleithen in the Scottish Borders, after she received a letter in the post from its customer service team Mrs Davidson wrote to the company to complain after reading in The National newspaper in Scotland that M&S had been labelling Scotch as British, but whisky made south of the border as English. She said the labelling could be regarded as an insult to Scottish people. But she didn’t anticipate the response she would get from a customer services representative of the shop, who told her: ‘I have received the email from you and I am able to inform you that the National Scottish Referendum has taken place and the majority of Scotland decided that the lovely country of Scotland would belong in and stay within the UK and will be a part of the country known as England.’

NORWEGIAN TO AXE A US ROUTE FROM EDINBURGH OVER TAX CUT DELAYS…. Norwegian is to axe a US route from Edinburgh and cut back its two others because of ministers postponing a reduction in air taxes. Norwegian will end flights to Bradley in Connecticut in March, just nine months after they were launched. Its route between the capital and Stewart, north of New York City, will be reduced at the same time from daily to four a week. Flights to Providence in Rhode Island, south of Boston, will be trimmed from five times a week to three. An industry source described the routes' "load factors" - proportion of seats filled - as "poor". Between June and November it was 58 per cent for Providence, 66 per cent to Bradley and 71 per cent to Connecticut. Edinburgh Airport said it was the first time an airline had curtailed flights because of the tax delay.

SIR SALTER SCOTT: NAMES OF SCOTTISH ROAD GRITTERS PROVE A HIT…. Generally yellow in colour and carrying a heavy load of salt, the average road gritter is not designed to win public affection. But an online tracking device set up by Transport Scotland to allow drivers to monitor the gritting of roads in real time has proved a surprise online hit - and not for the reason it was originally intended. With much of the country under snow, and the services of gritters more in demand than ever, the digital service has been in great demand. It’s there that the weird and wonderful - or downright terrible - names of Scotland’s gritters have been spotted and widely shared on social media. Sir Andy Flurry, Grittie McVittie, Sir Salter Scott and Gritty Gritty Bang Bang are just some of the gritters currently ensuring Scotland’s trunk roads remain free from ice and snow. Many of the lorries were named as part of a competition at the Road Expo Scotland show which took place at the end of 2016. The gritter patrol app was launched in 2016, and followed an investment in 161 weather stations across Scotland which send data to trunk road maintenance companies. There are more than 200 grit lorries at Transport Scotland’s disposal. A spokesperson for BEAR Scotland said: “We’ve got nearly 100 winter vehicles involved in our winter service throughout trunk roads in the north east and north west of Scotland.

RIVER TAY SALMON FISHING SEASON GETS UNDERWAY…. Angler Kenny Docherty made the first cast in Kenmore in Perth and Kinross during the traditional opening of the River Tay salmon fishing season on Monday. The opening ceremony has been staged at Kenmore since 1947. Fishermen gather in front of the Kenmore Hotel before heading to the river.

NEW CALEDONIAN SLEEPER TRAINS DELAYED UNTIL OCTOBER 2018…. A new £100 million fleet of Caledonian Sleeper carriages with en suite showers and double beds will be introduced six months late, operator Serco announced today. The news came as the first of the 75 coaches arrived in Glasgow from Spain. Passengers were due to start using the new trains in April, but Serco said there had been production delays. The firm also revealed the ensuite double rooms will cost from £200 per passenger, with single ensuite "Club" rooms from £125 per person. "Classic" rooms, with no ensuite, will be priced from £85 per person, and seats from £45. Passengers travelling alone will no longer be permitted to share with a stranger, with the change being implemented on the current trains from 26 February. The new carriages are being built by CAF in northern Spain, which also produced Edinburgh's trams. The carriages will replace ones that have been used on the overnight routes between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Fort William and Inverness which are up to 40 years old.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is certainly not from M&S it was I can assure you made in Scotland, which when I last checked, was not part of England....

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Monday 22nd January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Monday 22nd January 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  Beautiful day yesterday in Southern Spain, clear blue skies, with visibility as far as the eye could see, the ocean was calm and looked as if it had been plucked from a picture postcard, .. this morning is the same clear, star filled skies, 6c so it’s jacket weather, well it is for me.. today we have a promise of 15c and the same clear blue skies..

'THOMAS HARDY' WOOL BRIDGE COLLAPSES INTO RIVER FROME….  An Elizabethan bridge that features in Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles has partially collapsed and been washed away. Cracks began to appear on the Grade II* listed Wool Bridge, which crosses the River Frome in Dorset, on Thursday. Since then the wall foundation has "slumped" and been washed away, a county council spokeswoman said. The bridge has been closed to traffic for many years, except for pedestrians and cyclists, she added. The collapse has not affected the arches of the bridge, Dorset County Council said. The council hoped to put large bags of aggregate into the river on Friday to help stop further erosion to the walls and to prevent damage to the arches. "The longer-term plan for repair will be to wait until summer when the conditions are better, dam the affected area off, to allow it to dry out and we can see what has happened," the spokeswoman added. A bridge is first recorded to have crossed this point of the river in 1343, though it is thought the current structure was built in the 16th Century, according to Historic England. It features in Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles due to its location next to Woolbridge Manor, the home of the d'Urberville family. It was considered to be the best preserved Elizabethan bridge in Dorset.

JAPANESE CITY ON ALERT FOR DEADLY FUGU BLOWFISH…. A Japanese city has broadcast emergency warnings to prevent people consuming blowfish, after potentially deadly portions were mistakenly sold. A local supermarket in Gamagori city sold five packets of fugu fish without removing the livers, which contain poison. Three have been found but two remain missing. The delicacy is so poisonous that the smallest mistake in its preparation can be fatal. Each year there are several cases of fugu poisoning in the country, but not all are lethal. The fish more poisonous than cyanide.  City authorities in Gamagori, in central Japan, have activated an emergency system, urging people to return the potentially lethal portions. "We are calling for residents to avoid eating fugu, using Gamagori city's emergency wireless system," which broadcasts over loudspeakers located around the city, local official Koji Takayanagi told AFP. Fugu, an expensive seasonal winter dish, is eaten raw as sashimi or cooked in soup. The fish's livers, ovaries and skin contain the deadly poison tetrodotoxin and special training and a licence are required to prepare the fish. There is no antidote to the poison. Tetrodotoxin affects the nerve system and the poisoning has been described as "rapid and violent", leading to first a numbness around the mouth, then paralysis and eventually death…

THE INDIAN WOMAN WHO CHOSE A BULL OVER MARRIAGE…. Selvarani Kanagarasu, a daily wage labourer from the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, has shunned marriage so that she can take care of a prize-fighting bull. BBC Tamil's Pramila Krishnan talks to her about her life. Ms Kanagarasu, now 48, was only a teenager when she decided that she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father and grandfather, who raised bulls that competed in the state's traditional bull taming contests known as Jallikattu. Jallikattu has been popular for centuries in Tamil Nadu and is traditionally practised during the harvest festival of Pongal in January. Thousands of men chase bulls to grab prizes tied to their horns. The sport was not practised for two years, following a ban by the Supreme Court on the grounds of animal cruelty. But following mass protests in the state, the federal government cleared the way for it to resume in January 2017, bypassing the ban. "My father and grandfather both raised bulls and also considered them their children," she says. The task of continuing the family tradition would have ordinarily fallen to Ms Kanagarasu's brothers, but she says they did not have the time to look after the animals. So she decided to step in. The bull she looks after, Ramu, is an 18-year-old animal who is a legend in local Jallikattu circles. Ramu has won five of the seven Jallikattu events he has participated in, netting prizes like silk sarees and a gold coin for his devoted owner. ''Ramu is a son to me. He won prizes but more importantly, he won honour for my family in the village," she says, adding that Ramu is very "loving" despite his size and his temper in the Jallikattu arena. Over the years, scores of people have been gored or trampled to death in the contests. Hundreds, including spectators, have been mauled or injured. In some arenas, coir matting from coconut trees cushions the impact of a fall - but it provides no defence against a raging bull…. And Folk “That an’t No Bull!”

WOODCHIP IN UNDERPANTS EXCUSE FAILS FOR MALL MASTURBATOR…. A public masturbator who claimed he was just trying to get woodchips out of his underpants has been sentenced to community service. Nigel Cedric Heta, 51, was found guilty of one charge of committing an indecent act (masturbating) in a place where the public have access when he appeared in the Rotorua District Court on Tuesday. He was sentenced to 100 hours community service and to undergo a 12-month rehabilitation programme order. The offending occurred on Saturday September 23 at around 3.25pm as Heta sat in his car while parked in a loading zone directly outside the main entrance of a busy shopping mall. Heta's offending was seen by a witness who walked past with her five-year-old son. Sentencing Heta, Judge Greg Hollister-Jones said the offending was "upsetting and shocking for passersby". "[This was] a busy public place and the masturbation occurred in front of a five-year old." Heta initially pleaded not guilty to the charge before changing his plea to guilty. The summary of facts also revealed his explanation that he was "he was pulling wood chips out of his underpants""… Must be a “Chip off the Old Block”…

CAPE TOWN ABOUT TO BECOME WORLD’S FIRST MAJOR CITY TO RUN OUT OF WATER…. Cape Town could be the first major city in the world to run out of water as officials warn it is about to run dry. The city, perched right on the southern tip of the African continent, is just 90 days away from running out of water. Unpopular Republican govenor Chris Christie officially replaced with Democrat Officials have urged residents to conserve water with usage capped at 87 litres per person per day. Recent projections have suggested it could run out as early as March, while Mayor Patricia De Lille said the city has until April 22 until ‘Day Zero’. April 22 is when authorities have predicted the taps will run dry if current consumption continues and residents don’t scale back their usage.

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, Monday morning… …

Our Tulips today are very red... and the coffee is black, just the way I like it…..

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Monday 22nd January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Sunday 21st January 2018

Hello, Good Morning and Welcome….  I thought we could have a look at the lighter side of the news for a change, No Murder, No Mayhem, Definitely No Rape or Pillage, No Manslaughter, No Robber’s, No Crooks or Villains, just news that struck me as different or slightly odd.. Why would people want to hold hand on Ben Nevis, how the heck are you going to take a “Selfie”??? Having a beer with your namesake, I understand.. Stuff left in hotels.. amazing and people trying to get away with having their “Bell End” off, interesting….. All IO can say is that it takes all sorts to make the world and The Land Called Scotland is no different….

PRO-INDY CAMPAIGNERS TO ‘CREATE HUMAN CHAIN TO TOP OF BEN NEVIS’…. Campaigners have launched an ambitious plan to create a human chain from the bottom to the top of Ben Nevis to show support for Scottish independence. The event, which is scheduled to take place on August 25 already has over 2,000 interested in going, with 217 people confirmed. On the official Facebok page, titled, ‘Epic human chain in support of Scottish independence.’ the group states that their plan is to rally at least 9000 people to create a human chain to show their support of Scottish independence and make it impossible for the media to ignore them. The group wrote: So far, all of the YES movement’s events have been deliberately ignored by the UK’s main stream media, I think it would be quite hard for them to ignore this one? “We will have our own team of drone experts and photographers on the Ben filming to make sure the world sees this epic event and also to remind people that the YES movement is as strong as ever.” The organisers of the group said that the Facebook event is ‘testing the water’ to see if there is enough interest. If there is not then the event will be cancelled according to the organisers.

SCOT MEETS UP WITH HIS AUSSIE NAME TWIN IN EDINBURGH…. A Scot has become a viral hit after striking up an unlikely friendship with an Australian lad who has the exact same name as him. Ryan Grenfell, from Carluke, Lanarkshire, shared the amazing story on his social media page after meeting Aussie Ryan in Edinburgh when he was on holiday. The two 21-year-olds were born, not only in the same year, but exactly one month apart. Ryan said he accepted Aussie Ryan Grenfell on Facebook when he sent a friend request, purely because they shared the same name and because he was headed for Scotland. Ryan wrote on social media: “Ever added somebody on Facebook because you have the same name? “This is Ryan Grenfell from Down Under and he’s exactly one month older than me.” Ryan went to Edinburgh to meet his new friend, where he took him to the pub and introduced him to Irn Bru and Buckfast - which he loved.

SCOTS BOOKMAKER OFFERS ODDS ON ALEX SALMOND ‘MOVING TO RUSSIA’…. Mr Salmond, who caused controversy in November last year after sealing a deal to host a talk show on Kremlin-backed broadcaster Russia Today, has been priced at 100/1 to swap his Aberdeenshire home for a new life in Moscow. McBookie is also offering odds on US president Donald Trump visiting Scotland during his trip to the UK next month. A spokesman for the betting firm told the Sunday Post: “[Alex] Salmond and [Donald] Trump are two powerful characters that are part of daily discourse across Scotland. It will be fascinating to see where they are in 12 months’ time. “Many people thought Salmond had crossed a line by joining [Russia Today]. Maybe he’ll go the whole hog now and start afresh in Moscow.” The bookies is also offering odds of 6/1 that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will spend their honeymoon in Scotland. The pair are due to be married in May.

32FT NESSIE AND A SCOTTIE DOG AMONG BIZARRE ITEMS LEFT IN SCOTS HOTELS…. Swarovski encrusted wellington boots, a giant inflatable unicorn, a replica of Ben Nevis made from Shortbread and Dundee cake, and a 10 metre model of Nessie made out of empty Irn-Bru cans are just some of the bizarre items left behind in Scottish hotels last year. Budget hotel brand Travelodge highlighted some of the more interesting items left behind in its 542 UK hotels - which includes its 43 Scottish hotels - during the last 12 months. A Grandfather Clock was left behind in Livingston. Picture: Travelodge The annual report revealed that a Land Deed & Title to land in the Scottish Highlands, a 100 year old secret family recipe book, a coin collection worth over £200,000 and a bespoke Vera Wang Tartan wedding dress were among the items to be found at the chain’s Lost and Found Scotland office during 2017. A speech by an unnamed politician was left in a room by a parliamentarian during a stay in the Edinburgh Princes Street Travelodge, while the housekeeping team at the Stirling hotel got a lovely surprise when they were greeted by an adorable Scottie dog called Taggart, who had been left behind by his forgetful owner - the pair were reunited by the staff later that day. One business customer left behind a 50 year old teddy bear called Rupert at a Travelodge in Aberdeen; the distressed gentleman sent his PA to personally collect the vintage bear from London as he could not sleep without him. Wedding parties seemed to be the most forgetful customers as designer wedding dresses, cakes and even a mother-in-law were all left behind before being discovered by hotel staff. The manager at Glasgow Central Travelodge was even forced to track down a pantomime company who had left behind Cinderella’s ‘lost slipper‘ - an hour before Cinderella was set to go on stage. Shakila Ahmed, spokeswoman for Travelodge, said: “With millions of customers staying across our 43 hotels in Scotland, for a wide variety of reasons, we do get some interesting items being left behind. This year’s inventory list includes a Land Deeds & Title to land in the Scottish Highlands, a replica of Nessie made from Irun Bru cans, a mother in law, a four foot wedding cake designed like Ben Nevis made from shortbread and Dundee cake and keys to a Ferrari.

RESIDENTS PETITION TO HAVE BELL END STREET NAME CHANGED…. The petition has so far attracted 12 signatures after claims that young residents would be bullied at school. Residents have now called on Sandwell Council to change the name of the street because they have become a "laughing stock". In Scotland, Edinburgh is no stranger to street name controversy. The aptly named Bellenden Gardens has a name which has amused residents for years however in 2014 a satellite mapping of the cul-de-sac by Google showed it also strongly resembles a phallic symbol. The road was ranked fourth on a list of the top 15 most rude-sounding street names in the UK in 2014. The petition page on change.org reads: "As you may be aware, the term 'Bell End' can be seen and used as a rude and/or an offensive word. "It can affect people including children being bullied and teased at school and generally now become a laughing stock, as seen very recently on Facebook and other social media sites, and it's time for a change."

Finally getting the “Bell End” away, I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is of the low sun over the vast expanse of Rannoch Moor which was captured by Helen Baird, of Greenock…. Way to Go Helen!

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Sunday 21st January 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus