#robert mcangus

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Wednesday 29th August 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  The week has reached the middle, and the slope towards the week end is almost here, but we have Wednesday to contend with first and the sea mist is back again, and I saw the temperature as I left the house indicating 22c with a high later in the day of 32c .. I’m sure this mist will burn off and the beaches will be full of people… but now as Bella and I walk the town is quiet, all we can hear is the sound of the street cleaners spraying water onto the sidewalk and the occasional sound of snoring emitting from an open bedroom window… we cross over the main boulevard and walk by the ocean for a moment, hardly a wave, a single fishing boat is pulling his nets in and in the distance a supertanker sails silently by heading towards the Middle East.. we turn, things to do, places to be and coffee to drink…

500+ PEOPLE ILL IN US AFTER EATING MCDONALD’S SALAD…. McDonald’s stopped the sale of salads at 3000 restaurants last month. Federal health officials say they have confirmed more than 500 cases of people who became sick with an intestinal illness after eating McDonald's salads. The illnesses reported earlier this year are linked to the cyclospora parasite, which can cause diarrhoea, intestinal pain, nausea or tiredness. The Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that 507 cases have been confirmed in 15 states and New York City. McDonald's stopped the sale of salads at 3000 restaurants last month until it could find a different supplier. The FDA says it is still investigating the supplier of romaine lettuce and carrots. States with cases include: Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Officials also said people sickened in Connecticut, Florida, New York City, Tennessee, and Virginia had travelled in Illinois and Kentucky.

NEW RESEARCH THROWS WATER ON DRINKING’S ‘HEALTH BENEFITS’…. While some studies in the past have found that “moderate” drinking can have positive health effects, a meta-analysis of nearly 1,300 sources and studies indicates that even one daily drink can increase risk of premature death, cancer and other conditions. Alcohol, the study found, was the leading risk factor for people between the ages of 15 and 49 and linked to 3 million deaths per year. “If everyone cut their consumption in half,” said lead author Max Griswold, “We could save one million lives globally.”

LAB-GROWN MEAT COULD MAKE IT TO MARKET…. Can they meat in the middle? Food technology firm Memphis Meats and the North American Meat Institute have asked the White House to settle a regulatory tussle and allow cell-cultured meat to finally reach the American market. Under the plan, the Department of Agriculture, favored by major meat industry groups, and the Food and Drug Administration, which also seeks jurisdiction, would jointly monitor the foodstuff grown from animal cells to avoid slaughter. But it’s unclear whether other industry leaders, which hate culturing firms’ “clean meat” label, will support the plan.

POPE TO BE OFFERED SODA BREAD ‘TASTE OF IRELAND’ ON FLIGHT HOME…. The Pope will be offered a final taste of Ireland if he samples soda bread on his flight home to Rome. Chefs for the Republic's flag-carrier airline Aer Lingus will provide a traditional menu on EI2408 from Dublin on Sunday evening. Even the mozzarella cheese will have an Irish twist as it is produced by Co Cork company Toons Bridge Dairy. The butter is also sourced from the southern-most county, from Glenilen farm. The pontiff can choose between baked smoked salmon with braised savoy cabbage or a more Mediterranean basil pesto risotto with summer vegetables. A passion fruit mousse will be offered for dessert. The papal delegation travelled to Ireland with Alitalia. Aer Lingus provided the quick hop from Dublin to Knock airport in Ireland's west, where the pontiff is visiting Knock shrine on Sunday. Altogether, 16 cabin crew will service the Aer Lingus flights, led by Joan O'Neill and Jackie Bailey, who joined the airline in 1979, the year it carried Pope John Paul II on his trip to Ireland. A papal coat of arms has been applied to the plane's exterior, divider curtains installed as well as loud speakers for an onboard press conference to be held on the fight back to Rome. The papal flag and Irish tricolour will be flown from the cockpit for push back and landing in Dublin and Knock. The papal and Italian flags will be flown upon arrival in Rome. Papal blessings will be made as the delegation enters new airspace. The flight will accommodate 126 guests, including key members of the Vatican, security staff and journalists. Aer Lingus will present Pope Francis with a model of the airline's first aircraft, a De Havilland DH84 Dragon EI-ABI, a replica of the Celtic Crucifix of Athlone, which was on board the aircraft which carried Pope John Paul II in 1979.

SPAIN APPROVES PLAN TO DIG UP FORMER DICTATOR FRANCO…. Spain's centre-left government says it has approved legal amendments ensuring the remains of former dictator General Francisco Franco will be dug up and removed from a controversial mausoleum. Deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo said the minority Socialist government is certain that parliament will endorse the decision, probably next month. The amendments to Spain's Historical Memory Law of 2007 grant the government power to exhume Franco's body. That change aims to thwart legal efforts by Franco's descendants and supporters to block the exhumation. Removing the remains from the Valley of the Fallen, a mausoleum Franco ordered built 30 miles north west of Madrid, would be a momentous event in Spain which still bears social and political scars from the 1936-39 civil war.

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

Our Tulips today are suggesting you follow the yellow tulip road... wonder if there are any red slippers at the end?

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 29th August 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 #Travel #Tulips #News #Estepona

[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

[charlotteswebcbd]

World Oil Deals – Are Fortunes Made As Intermediary in Oil and Petroleum Trade Deals?

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A. THE GET-RICH-QUICK ETHIC IN THE BUSINESS

We call this the 'get rich quick' or 'get rich overnight' ethic or mentality. That is, the notion and thinking that just the mere involvement of one in the petroleum trading business, whether as a dealer or a broker, agent or other intermediary role, will almost automatically guarantee one a millionaire, in deed, a multimillionaire, station in life, and almost in no time at all! That is an ethic and mentality that has pervaded the common mindset and psychic of the average intermediary involved, or contemplating involvement, in the business today, and has been even particularly more heightened since the modern era of the Internet trading. In a word, it is a mentality that says that world oil deals and the petroleum trading are a business that is awash in wealth and fortunes and easily guarantees the intermediary who gets involved in it in any capacity at all, but in particular as an agent or intermediary of some sort, that, as one analyst put it, "you are going to be super rich next week or next month" by doing so.

Historically, in the past, over a period of several decades (and beyond), there has almost always been a sizable number of what could be called "professional middlemen" who operated in the oil and other commodity "secondary market" trading industries who are primarily but genuinely driven by the belief or inner conviction that working as an intermediary in the industry is a reasonable path to honest living which, if not leading one to an instant wealth, then at least to a reasonable means of livelihood and steady economic progress and well-being.

In more recent times, however, since the advent of the Internet and its increasing role as the dominant and preferred tool for conducting business among intermediaries, there has gradually shifted and developed, in stead, over the years, a "new breed" of intermediaries and middlemen (brokers, agents, etc) in the trade. Often given to far less education, training or apprenticeship in the trade than the previous pre-Internet generation of intermediaries, and usually having vastly less knowledge and experience in the art of international trading because of the greater ease of entry into the business afforded them by the Internet, as a group this "new breed" of post-Internet intermediaries and middlemen are generally less shackled by the normal moral code or ethics and decorum, and are more greedy and in a greater hurry to "strike it big and fast" by merely working as an intermediary. And, just as importantly, they're in a greater hurry to clinch that elusive, dubious get-rich-quick ambition by any means whatsoever, including the scamming of unsuspecting or gullible international crude buyers, as such scheme is aided and made easier for them by the Internet and the easier cover of anonymity that it provides them.

In deed, as many knowledgeable observers and respected analysts of the industry have noted, the get-rich-quick greed and mentality have, in these hard global economic times of today (mid 2012), reached an even new, particularly frenzied high, as many crooks, scammers and fraudsters with actually no real crude oil to sell, have now trooped into the international crude oil selling business in unprecedented numbers, seeing that arena as a fertile ground for them in attaining their dubious ambition of "striking it big and fast."

Robert McAngus (among many others), the Managing Partner/CEO for the Robert McAngus Group, has noted, with great lamentation, that phenomenon. In a 2004 article, McAngus voiced a rather ringing alarm at the escalated, often grossly unrealistic, divorced-from-reality kind of the commission fees being demanded, or expected, in recent times by brokers and intermediaries in the petroleum trading.

According to McAngus:

"Over the past few years, I have seen the fees charged to a possible transaction spiral upward in some cases reaching the astronomic heights of $30 USD per metric ton to be divided 50/50 between the buy side and the sell side. For God sake! Get a life! Or at least do the mathematics, on a simple 100,000 metric ton transaction using the figures I have quoted, that's $30,000,000."

McAngus continues, asking: "Please explain how we, as the buyers, are supposed to justify that amount of money to the bank at which we have our lines of credit, and perhaps if I have a reader at this point they can explain what the broker did to earn this amazing sum of money... I have no idea where the idea that fees of this magnitude are paid to brokers in an oil transaction [came from], or for that matter who in the transaction is going to pay them, certainly not me as the buyer!."

A salient aspect of this common notion and thinking is that to attain this high financial status of instant wealth in the business, you need not necessarily have to work hard or to be trained or particularly experienced in and knowledgeable about, it, but can attain it by this doing basically nothing - other than, perhaps, just shoving around a few copied or bogus false oil trade deals documents on the Internet usually passed down to the particular intermediary from other fellow equally uninformed brokers and intermediaries.

B. BUT HOW TRUE OR REAL IS THIS THINKING?

The principal question, of course, is: How true or real or not is this general thinking, if any? Are fortunes made as intermediary in petroleum and oil trade deals? We shall address this issue pretty soon. But, first of all, let us address the general nature of this thinking, and its general genesis or origins.

C. A MAJOR INFLUENCE and FACTOR IN THE CREATION OF THIS MINDSET OF GREED & GET-RICH-QUICK MYTHOLOGY

There might, of course, have been some other significant relevant factors and influences to which the origins and genesis of this present-day phenomenon of get-rich-quick mentality in oil deals could be attributable. But, for our purposes here, suffice it simply to say that, based upon this writer's own extensive research on the subject, there seems to be one dominant intellectual factor, above all, which has significantly influenced and aided a great many among the current breed of Internet brokers and intermediaries in formulating this conception of the nature of the oil trading business, and of the above-described current mentality of greed and get-rich-quick mythology that is widely prevalent among these players about the oil business.

And what is that factor?

Somewhat incredibly, that factor seems to be one rather obscure e-book rather appropriately titled "How to Earn $Millions in Oil Deal." Its author is Mr. Sam Igwe, who goes by the alias Sam Nelson, said to be an operator of an oil consulting service since 2003. Credible research shows that an early, cheap, but powerful and influential Internet promoter and preacher of the gospel of the quickie-and-easy-wealth-from-service-as-a-petroleum-deal-agent, is this simple publication by Mr. Sam Igwe, alias Sam Nelson - titled "How to Earn $Millions in Oil Deal."

D. The Basic Doctrine of "get rich-quick-with-no-work-or-effort" of the Nelson Publication

In point of fact, Sam Nelson's "How to Earn $Millions in Oil Deal" publication lives absolutely up to the billing of its title as an ardent gospel that fervently preaches what the title denotes!

Though nominally stating at the outset that the book is "not a 'Get Rich Quick' book," the book promptly asserts that "If you are searching for a sure, fast and genuine way to earn fast, steady, honest living and how to become a millionaire, I bet, this is the right book [for you]." The publication proclaims itself to be "the clear path to financial freedom," it declares its prime mission as being to teach the reader "the long-held secrets of how to work smart and become a big-time Agent, millionaire within few months," and asserts that it "is intended to open the eyes and minds of the readers to join the team of the big players in crude oil business."

Regarding the amount of money the average intermediary agent or "facilitator" is to expect, Nelson asserts,

"• Do you know you can become an Oil Deal Facilitator and EARN Millions of dollars within few months? • Do you know you can become a Buyer's or Seller's Agent? • Do you know you can EARN $1,000,000 - $2,000,000 just for successfully closing one Oil deal within few months?" He adds that you can "induct yourself into the Millionaires Club!," that you "can change your life forever by becoming an Oil Deal Facilitator and earn up to ($2,000,000) two million dollars within few months... [with only] a phone and an Internet access, your only investment is just this step-by-step (Manual)."

Nelson sums up his "attain super wealth overnight" doctrine this way:

"There are millions of barrels of Crude Oil being sold daily around the world. You can close a deal in any part of the world. Just a click of your mouse and few phone calls plus extra smart work... you can earn Millions of dollars in just few months by successfully closing one Oil Deal working in the comfort of your home as a facilitator. These secrets have not been made public because the participants do not want the public to learn their game. These oil deal giants have been very privileged to learn the game and have constantly made people feel that one has to be a millionaire before he/she can participate. This is not true."

E. No Work, No Education or Skills Required!

And is there any amount of work or efforts that it will take for the agent to master this business and make a success of it, or to earn all that money? Is there any education, skills, knowledge, investment and experience that this will take or require? Nelson's answer to these questions is, basically, practically little to none of that. According to Nelson, "This is Easy and Simple! Just from your dinning table you will work at your own pace and make millions of dollar within few months. There is no hidden cost. No huge investment. No upfront fees. (WE MEAN 'NO FEES UPFRONT')."

F. BUT HOW TRUE OR REAL IS THIS THINKING?

And now we get back to this central but critical question: How true or real is this general thinking, if any at all? Basically, the question is, are fortunes made as intermediary in petroleum trade deals, in fact?

In point of fact, if we were to put it simply in a word, probably the most fundamental and truest thing that could be said about the above-sketched doctrine of "get rich quick with no work or efforts" for the oil trader or intermediary, is simply that that doctrine is completely and patently false and misleading, and is at variance with, and directly contradictory to, the whole TRUTH and actual REALITY about the business! It is that the above-prescribed thinking is patently contradicted by the well-established, tried-and-proven trading doctrine and thinking that has long been preached, practiced and successfully used by mainstream traders and the most respected and most successful experts and practitioners of trading for generations in the industry! . Sure, decent money, or, in deed, even high incomes could still be made, and continue to be made, by many persons working as an intermediary in the business today, and a good number of intermediaries still close oil trade deals that are lucrative. But that's ONLY by someone, however, who shall have already "paid his dues" in the industry before hand, before he (she) can possibly attain such success and such income working in the business - in terms of having acquired the requisite education and training, of being skilled and knowledgeable in the fundamentals of the trade and the appropriate rules and procedures of the trade, and, above all, of having acquired the hands-on practical experience and apprenticeship and long years (some 2-3 years or more) of painstaking, patient, diligent hard work in the business.

Clearly, that is a far, far, cry from the Nelson doctrine outlined above which essentially says and spreads the thinking that, as a broker or agent working in world oil deals and trading, you're almost automatically "guaranteed" to close oil trade deals and to attain incredibly humongous and high "millionaire" financial status of instant wealth within months in the business just by the mere trying of your hands at it; and that you need not necessarily have to work hard at it or to be trained or particularly experienced in and knowledgeable about it, but can attain such great wealth overnight, any way, by doing basically nothing -- other than, perhaps, just shoving around a few copied or false oil deal documents on the Internet usually passed down to the particular intermediary from other fellow brokers and intermediaries.

Clearly, anyone who really knows anything about the true realities of the business, would immediately tell you that nothing could be more 'Joker Broker' like type of philosophy than the above-described Nelson doctrine. An attitude and mindset that immediately reminds one of this characterization made by one analyst about the core nature of the joker broker, "Some of them [the "Internet" brokers or joker brokers] are quite entertaining [in the notions about the workings of business they typically exhibit], and remind us of the Nigerian scam artists. The world simply [just] does not work like that."

G. THE PERVASIVENESS OF SUCH THINKING AMONG THE INTERMEDIARIES

Yet, such attitude and thinking fundamentally represents the kind of underlying mindset and mentality which typically pervades and controls the thinking of most persons who are attracted by and enticed into dabbling into the role of an agent or intermediary in petroleum dealings today - a mindset and mentality which essentially views the petroleum trading business as the 'cash cow' path to instant financial riches, and one which requires no deep learning or knowledge set to attain it, no long experience, and no hard work, but could simply be accomplished merely by passing around a few copied or even forged but never verified "documents" on the Internet! An underlying mindset and mentality of get-rich-quick-through-the-intermediary-work-without-work-or-study, which, though grossly misguided and totally erroneous and misinformed, pervades the broker network on the Internet - and bespeaks of the kind of unbelievable unrealism, unreal mentality and difficult-to-comprehend attitude often witnessed among a good many Internet brokers and agents operating in the international petroleum trading market today in terms of the frequent presentation one sees on their part of offers of business propositions or demands that are often impracticable, totally unreal and unrealistic, seemingly mere day-dreaming than serious, clearly divorced from simple reality, and completely contrary to all time-honored, well-established norms of the trade and the normal ways of doing business!

H. How Pure Greed Blinds & Hoodwinks People into this Doctrine

It is a mindset and mentality that, though rooted in the Sam Nelson doctrine, have their most primary and powerful impetus in one fundamental factor - sheer human GREED and FANTASY or MYTHOLOGY! Many times, mainly consumed by the false thought of becoming "super rich" overnight out of the blues from an oil deal, many of such brokers are found to be innocently and naively trying to close a deal for someone who they believe, or merely hope, to be real, but who is, in fact really not. But oftentimes, they are too blinded and overcome by the false belief in their pipe dream of becoming "super rich next week or next month" overnight by virtually doing nothing, or too proud or conceited, to simply accept or concede that such beliefs and procedures that they present are simply incorrect or impracticable, and so they refuse to change their ways and continue along the same futile path of wasting their time and the precious time of others, for months and years still trying to push plainly unworkable deals - until, perhaps, it finally begins to dawn on them that for so long no deals have been closed, or are likely to be closed, and not a dime of income has been, or is likely to be, earned!

These words of cautionary alarm and distress by a vastly experienced and successful 35-year veteran of the business, Robert McAngus, the Managing Partner/CEO of the international conglomerate, Robert McAngus Group, concerning the escalating greed and demands for unrealistic levels of commission fees he had observed from Internet agents and brokers, seem to hit the nail squarely on the head:

"Having been in the oil business since 1976, many years prior to the birth of the internet and Skype, I feel I have the practical experience and the hands-on management knowledge and skills required to try and set some of the misunderstandings [held by brokers and intermediaries about what they should be paid] right," as he strongly advices the brokers and agents that, having come from the old school, he would strongly ask that they always "THINK THE DEAL THROUGH. If you as a fresh-faced young broker or a grizzled seasoned veteran, take the time to think about the process, I am sure that you will realize that this industry requires a lot of hard work and effort, so rather than just pass the deal from your friend Joe, along to the next broker friend, do some dam work and find out if the deals [are] real or not, and try to earn your commissions."

I. Don't Even Try Your Hands at It Until You've Had the Requisite Education, Training, and Experience

Divide Papa, the noted expert in modern international trading procedures, somewhat debunking the Nelson doctrine of get-rich-quick-without work-or-study, elaborates:

"[If] you want to become a Doctor or Accountant or Engineer," he notes, reminding us of the way things have always worked in the real world, "you must [first] study and go to school for may years. Then obtain experience. You want to become a professional intermediary Buyer/seller, the same ideal applies - 2/3 years is the learning, obtaining the experience cycle, and after studying, many will give up trying. That's how difficult this business is. But in return - if you close even just ONE single large deal - you will make a small fortune. You will make a life time of earnings on one deal. If you learn and study well your chances to close one deal is an even 50/50. [However], if you trade without study, your chances of closing a deal is ZERO. There is no 100% study applications in this business."

Papa adds that any persons who are acting as import/export intermediaries in world petroleum deals, but have NOT first done the requisite studies, or fail to apply the appropriate doctrine of trading that's followed by credible practitioners and experts, are virtually doomed to failure, guaranteed to close no deals or to make even a dime in income. And such persons, he asserts, should just rest assured that at least 99% of them "have no idea on what they are doing and will never close one deal even in 50 year of trading with silly procedures like LOI, ICPO, BCL, POP, etc. The net is full of silly ill-informed intermediaries who think they are trading when, in fact, all they're doing is trading in nothing - just wasting time."

SUMMARY

To summarize, the central point of this essay is that - whatever may have actually been, or is, the causal source for or genesis of it, whether it is traceable to Mr. Nelson's book, or to the new ethic of the Internet and the Internet generation, or some other unidentifiable corrupting or misguiding influence, or whatever else - literally nothing could be more wrong-headed, more misleading, misguided or unfortunate for the international petroleum marketing business today, or any Internet broker and agent who operates or want to operate in it, than adopting or buying into the above-described doctrine of fortune being made as intermediary in petroleum trade deals overnight, without work or efforts or education, which is widely admitted to be the underlying prevailing mindset operating among many of today's Internet brokers and agents. In fact, to put it even more starkly, the central point that is made here is that nothing could be more cruelly 'Joker Broker' like - i.e., more negative or despicable, more unreal and unrealistic, more damaging or destructive, and counterproductive - to the average broker's very own best interests and to his best chances of ever finding success in the business or ever landing any sales, closing any deals or making any income - than for a broker to operate under this kind of thinking and mindset - a mindset that is completely false and wrong, totally mistaken and misleading, unrealistic, unattainable, and absolutely contrary to and devoid of any realities and all norms of doing business..

Put simply, in terms of world oil deals, it is this innate belief in the above-described doctrine and mistaken thinking concerning the actual nature and realities of international trading and what ought to be the proper role of the commission intermediary in it that is generally held by the modern Internet intermediary, consciously or unconsciously, deliberately or otherwise, that is fundamentally the single most critical element which account for why most commission intermediaries fail as agents and generally do not close any deals or earn much income, for months, even for years of involvement in the business. And, what is more, it is this unfortunate innate erroneous belief that is held by them, that has been the most fundamental critical element which account for the terrible image of the modern Internet commission intermediary in today's petroleum marketing business, and the horrible image and notoriety with which they are generally viewed.

And this is so for very good and readily understandable, and, in large part, justifiable reason!

Why so? Simply, because to operate in the business based on such a wrong-headed doctrine or mindset, or such misguided thinking, by any one at all, directly leads one, as it has with the intermediaries involved in the oil business, astray, leading them to the wrong approach and wrong mindset and procedures for the business, and therefore to undesired results and to failure and not being able to close oil trade deals, or to earn commission income from their involvement in the business.

An apt and excellent word of knowledge by which to conclude this essay is perhaps this one offered by one noted expert and author on the international trade intermediary, "There are no short cuts in this business [of trying to work as a trader or an intermediary]."

Or, to put it perhaps even more lucidly still, I might myself add this: "Either trade with the correct philosophy and approach, or fail woefully if you try to trade otherwise!" As an intermediary (or trader), those are your ONLY two stark options and certain results, and none else!

FOR A FOLLOW UP

WISH TO FOLLOW UP ON GETTING A CRUDE OIL OR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS SELLER OR BROKER WITH WORKABLE, REALISTIC PROCEDURES THAT A CREDIBLE BUYER CAN READILY ACCEPT? Please see the instructional information in the author's resource box below

[ad_2] Source by Benjamin Anosike, PhD

Post Source Here: World Oil Deals – Are Fortunes Made As Intermediary in Oil and Petroleum Trade Deals?

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The Primary Duty of the Intermediary in Internet Oil Trading

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The Primary Duty of the Intermediary in Internet Oil Trading

A. LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND PROPER INFORMATION AMONG INTERMEDIARIES

Most experts and keen analysis of the industry often lament and bemoan one nagging fundamental shortcoming of the modern Internet-era class of brokers, agents, and other intermediaries – namely, that, as a class, they tend to be overly handicapped and plagued by a general lack of education, training, knowledge and proper information concerning the true nature and workings of international trade, and of its fundamentals and basic procedures.

Mr. R. Ambardar, a broker experienced for over 10 years in international market development and advisory services who has personally closed several petroleum deals, calls “lack of experience and knowledge” one of the principal primary reasons why many brokers and facilitators fall in crude oil endeavors and never close any deals. “Many people are attracted into this business because of [the tales they hear about the] kind of money one can earn on account of successful deals,” Ambardar asserts. “Many agents fail, [however], to understand that requirements to succeed in this business are very demanding, [and that] only those who have years of hands-on experience and thorough knowledge of the industry can strive to do well as middle-men.”

Echoing what almost every other respected expert in the field emphatically asserts, Ambardar adds, that “To become a ‘Facilitator’ in the oil business,… what you actually need is right knowledge and expertise [since this is what will help] you hook up genuine buyers and sellers. One should be in the industry for long to have acquired knowledge related to the dynamics of this business.”

In the same vein, Davide Papa, the co-author with Lona Elliot of “International Trade & the Successful Intermediary,” one of the most prominent experts in the field today on the basic methodology and procedures of international trading by brokers and intermediaries, asserts that,

“Without the requisite knowledge of the correct trading procedures, you [the broker or agent/intermediary] are simply wasting your time by attempting to trade. The vast majority of traders you will meet on the Internet don’t know how to close a deal. Most don’t even know how to start a deal correctly, let alone bringing one to a successful conclusion.”

Consequently, says Mr. Papa, “Anyone attempting to do business with these types of intermediaries [or with their procedures] will also be unable to close a deal or collect a cent in commission, no matter how long they trade for or how hard they try.”

What Misguided Agents and Intermediaries erroneously think is “trading”

Yet, as a factual matter, most (indeed, just about ALL) brokers and intermediaries that one meets on the Internet who claim they have oil to sell, or who, for example, flood my Consultancy Office with “offers” and “deals” by the dozens every hour of the day each day, haven’t got even the foggiest clue of what is actually involved in proper trading, or how it works or is done. Almost to a man or woman, they essentially think that all there is to oil “trading,” is basically the accumulation of any number of some copied generic documents – ‘SPAs,’ ‘LOI,’ ‘FCO,’ ‘ICPO,’ and what have you – with almost none ever verified, and passing them around on the Internet to potential buyers or their agents, asking them to “just sign,” “just sign”! Indeed, what is even worse, they hardly ever have the foggiest idea of even what their PROPER function and duty is, or should be, as an intermediary in the modern Internet era of TOO MUCH information and data, but TOO LITTLE quality or genuine information and data!

B. A MAJOR WAY IN WHICH THIS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE BY THE INTERMEDIARY IS MANIFESTED

Quite oddly enough, one of the major but most fundamental ways in which this woeful pervasive lack of knowledge and information of the fundamentals and proper procedures manifests itself on the part of the intermediaries, is the awesome lack of knowledge among them concerning even the basic purpose and proper function or duty which the modern intermediary is supposed to serve for the oil trader and in the marketplace. Most Internet intermediaries are NOT even aware of what EXACTLY that is!

THE TRADITIONAL ROLE & FUNCTION OF THE INTERMEDIARY

First, let us start with looking at the “traditional” role and function of the intermediary in the marketplace. This description of the duties and functions of a facilitator given by Sam Nelson, the author of a noted primer on oil trading that’s commonly used by many brokers and agents, best represents, perhaps, the conception of the traditional primary function of the intermediary in oil deals:

“Facilitating a business [by a Facilitator] is an act of arranging business activities as contained in a contract and bringing two parties into an agreement towards the smooth implementation of a contract as defined by the contract procedures… The facilitator is the individual, or group of people, arranging business activities as contained in a contract and bringing two parties into a mutual agreement towards the smooth implementation of a contract as defined in the procedures of the contract… There are people who work as facilitators in different kinds of business transactions, for example, ‘Currency trading.’ ”

Nelson adds that, as a Facilitator on the seller’s side, for example, “the seller depends on you to find a reputable buyer. You, as the facilitator, become the hub for these deals. Honesty is required on your part. You can facilitate a deal as a buyer or seller’s facilitator but I will advise you not to be on both sides at the same time for the same deal. That will be an absolute greed.”

Robert McAngus, the Chairman and CEO of the McAngus Group, a Marbella, Spain-based global conglomerate actively engaged in the business of primary commodities, including oil products, through its network of offices and partners in Africa, Europe, the Far and Middle East, and the Americas, gives his own description of the usual traditional role of the intermediary, this way: “a broker’s entire job is to help a petroleum company’s trading department find or sell oil and related products so that he will receive a commission when the deal comes together.”

In other words, by traditional standards, the primary role and function of the intermediary in the so-called “secondary” market petroleum trading operations, is simply the “sourcing” function – that is, the job of finding the suppliers of the product and matching them with intending buyers, in return for which the sourcing broker or agent will receive commission payments for successfully completed deals.

But here’s the central point to be made here, however. And that is this: That this old, “traditional” role and function of the broker or the intermediary in crude oil and petroleum products deals have changed in this current era of the Internet – and in a big, big and drastic way! And anyone who operates in the oil trade industry today as a broker, agent or other intermediary without knowing, or understanding or recognizing this critical modern-era reality, or who continues to operate as though, as in the past, all that is required of him is just to find a seller and “match” him with a buyer, or vice versa, totally misses the mark as to his proper place or function today in the marketplace, or his true market value or worth.

Indeed, in this writer’s studied assessment, much of the problems and negative aspects (the so-called ‘dark side’) of the international commodities trading business that have often been primarily attributed to the role and involvement of the modern intermediaries’ in the business – the inability of most to successfully close deals or to make a commission, the involvement of many of scams and fake offers, etc – can be directly traced to this factor alone: namely, the failure on the part of the intermediary, whether knowingly or otherwise, to modify and adjust his business tactics and method of operation to align with this new “paradigm” shift of the current Internet era marketplace.

I’LL SUM IT UP SIMPLY THIS WAY, IN A NUTSHELL: True, in the past, BEFORE the present-day business ethics of the computer/Internet-era, what the average traders viewed to be the more important need and service from an intermediary – and one about which, therefore, the trader primarily sought and employed the services of the intermediary for – was primarily to obtain trade leads and contact sources for business prospects. But in this present post-Internet era, however, what the average trader now primarily wants and needs from the broker or intermediary, is not so much the trade leads or contact sources. But, rather, he primarily needs and wants the broker/agent intermediary to get him trade leads or contact sources and information that are duly verified or verifiable. Or, to put it another way, the trader’s primary need and most vital interest in an intermediary today, is for the broker and intermediary to aid and assist him in verifying and doing DUE DILIGENCE on the trade leads and opportunities or contact sources that are now generally available in superabundance, whether online or offline.

Jeffrey P. Graham, President of JPG Consulting, a Philadelphia-based international business consulting and research firm, makes that point rather quite clearly in his classic 1997 essay titled, “Evaluating Trade Leads.” Graham, who was one of the first to make that profound observation, states that with the coming of the Internet, the major issue and concern of international traders significantly became, NOT having too few or an insufficient number of trade leads to the buying or selling of a particular product or service, but having too many and too much of it. And that with that profound change, the central issue for the world traders became the ability and facility of traders – and the brokers, agents and intermediaries who work for them – to carry out good  on the trade leads presented by or about a company or product, and being able to do competent evaluation on such company or product as to its genuineness and quality.

Thirty years ago, Graham says (meaning before the Internet became a factor), there were far fewer companies doing business as traders and intermediaries, and, secondly, the task of finding out how credible a company was, was a simple matter of just checking the telex address and obtaining some bank references on the company. However, Graham adds, all that has drastically changed – thanks, or no thanks, to the Internet!

Graham sums up this view this way:

“Until very recently, gaining access to reliable sources of trade leads was a very expensive and time-consuming proposition for many small and medium-sized companies (SME’s). In the United States, [for example], the Department of Commerce was the sole purveyor of trade leads… companies paid a monthly subscription fee then in order to gain access to what was available, whether it was appropriate or not. [However], with the proliferation of trade lead sources available on the World Wide Web (WWW), access to trade leads is no longer a problem. What has not changed, however, is the time involved in handling trade leads.

Enthusiastic proponents of the Internet will always tell anybody willing to suspend common sense that more is better. What is wrong with this concept… is the assumption that the additional information provided by the Internet can be easily assimilated into a business enterprise and made useful without any cost whatsoever; [or that], therefore, the proliferation of trade leads now available on the [Internet]… should translate into more and better opportunities for everybody. [The reality, however, has been that] Nothing could be further from the truth, because of the real problem with trade leads, is that most of them are of questionable value.”

Asserting that “a trade lead in 1997 means something quite different than it did in 1977,” Graham adds that:

“The Internet presents troubling issues even for the most experienced international business people because of the enormous amount of misleading information which is pumped into the system; a system which is not yet ready to process this amount of information. One issue is, really, [about being able] to evaluate the company which posts the trade lead and this is now a very tedious process… Since 1993, when the browser technology really began to take off and the Internet began to seriously emerge as a marketplace, the changes have been staggering… It is not unusual for people who are just wishfully thinking, to write and post trade leads which are designed primarily to elicit responses. These ‘companies’ [put out]… what many call ‘trade leads’ but which almost always turn out to be worthless junk… Such postings can send companies on time-consuming and very expensive fishing expeditions which yield no sales and have little potential for future business as well.”

TRANSLATED: In short, the central point made by experts and keen students of modern trade history, is that the role and purpose of the intermediary in the Internet-era international commodities trading, have undergone some drastic, even staggering, fundamental change – a ‘paradigm shift” or change – from, say, the late 1980’s and early 1990’s to these days. In that previous era, a relatively few buying and selling trade leads existed which consisted really of just information posted on on-line bulletin boards and from the U.S. department of commerce trade publications. But by the mid-1990’s, with the rise of the World Wide Web, the Internet and Usenet gradually but steadily assumed a more useful role for business purposes. The Internet soon emerged as a major and central marketplace itself, consequently making the need for, and expense of, subscribing to trade leads a thing of the past.

But, in making the subscription to and expense of trade leads a thing of the past, the Internet brought about, however, a host of other big challenges of its own – it has made the task and process of evaluating the trade lead or opportunity that’s posted online considerably more difficult than it was, compared to the pre-Internet times of 30 years ago, such that today, while the sheer volume of trade leads and information available is gigantic, and the buying or selling of leads from around the world can be solicited at low-cost or practically for free, being able to evaluate the authenticity and actual worth and value of such information is the central task and challenge of the time.

C. WHAT IS THE REAL AND PROPER ROLE OF THE GOOD INTERMEDIARY IN TODAY’S MARKET?

In short, summed up very simply, the central point is that, in terms of the business needs and desires of today’s world traders, there has been a gradual but drastic “paradigm shift” or a major change, over the past two to three decades of transitioning to the Internet era, and hence, in what the average world trader wants and requires from their brokers and intermediaries and the Primary Duty of the Intermediary in Internet Oil Trading. Today, what they (the traders) principally want and desire from their intermediaries, is not so much obtaining some sheer “raw data” concerning any trade leads or contacts, or merely what the volume and “quantity” of trade leads or offers they’re provided is, since the average trader generally has access already to such material in overabundant supply. But, rather, what they want and desire most particularly, is “quality data,” meaning data that shall have already been properly vetted and verified, data for which a good deal of “due diligence” shall have already been done on.

That is, long gone are the old days of the “traditional” role and function of the sourcing broker or agent when his primary role was only to obtain trade leads or offers a product or business prospect and just try to “match” them with, or, indeed, more accurately stated, just ‘dump them on,’ a seller or buyer – without first verifying or authenticating them, or first doing even a minimal amount of due diligence on them as to their actual worth and legitimacy. For the credible or authentic buyer or seller today, that traditional approach will not suffice or be even remotely acceptable anymore.

Yet, that profound new reality notwithstanding, that is precisely what many a sourcing broker and agent – indeed, the vast majority of them – who operate in the Internet crude oil and petroleum products trading business today, largely do: they merely go around dutifully but indiscriminately collecting and amassing SPA (Sales and Purchase Agreement) documents, ‘LOI,’ ‘ICPO,’ and ‘POP’ documents, and other copied similar documents, from any and every conceivable source they can find on the Internet, and simply passing them over to any prospective buyers they can reach, virtually with nothing ever vetted or evaluated by them concerning the reliability of the information being peddled, or the bona fides of the providers or originators of the documents or the even actual existence, availability or authenticity of the product claimed. No DUE DILIGENCE did by the broker/agent intermediaries on the offers presented and represented in those “documents”! To the vast majority of these brokers and agents on the Internet, notorious for largely being uninformed and non-knowledgeably in the business, this is what and all they think is “trading.”!

Frequently, the most that the Internet broker or agent (or trade) who sends in the offer would add, is that he or she would throw in some meaningless, worthless, self-serving statements such as: “This is an authentic seller.” “I can assure you this seller has the excellent reputation and is reliable.” Some would even claim something like, “We just successfully concluded another deal like this with this seller.” Yet, as a rule, no shred of concrete evidence whatsoever, much less any proof, is ever provided by such broker or agent to substantiate or back up any of such statements and claims – and therefore still making them (i.e., the intermediary and the offer they might have presented) not only just as worthless in the eyes of any credible buyer viewing the offer, but additionally irritating and time-wasting to them, since virtually no credible buyer in the business would view such representations as worth even one dime, anyway!

Think of the image of the scornful “Joker Broker” role in the present-day international trading described by Kamal J. Southall, in his book on trade and financial fraud and the ‘Joker Broker.’ The image of individuals (call them brokers, agents, mandates, facilitators, etc) “who knowingly or unknowingly peddles and plies deals and products that, in the vast majority of instances, are non-existent, or badly defined… [and go] playing deals often involving a string of brokers from one end of the planet to another, and yet not a single one has verified the very existence of the goods at hand.”

IN SUM

By and large, most, unfortunately, the modern Internet broker/agent intermediaries largely fail to provide the current market (i.e., the legitimate buyers and sellers in the industry) “what the market actually wants,” pure and simple. Namely, they woefully fail frequently to provide and serve the primary duty of the intermediary in Internet oil trading, to serve their Number #1 and most appropriate and most important function for the trade, which is, basically, to help do the essential on the trade leads or offers or information they provide or come across, before or when they pass them on to the trader, and to have fully evaluated and verified such material beforehand as to their authenticity, reliability, and intrinsic worth and legitimacy.

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Saturday 29th September 2018

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. The heavens are full of twinkling lights this morning.. Stars for as far as you can see, a thick belt much like a rope stretches across the sky, the "Milky Way" in all its glory... what an amazing sight.. I watch with awe as a meteor strikes the Earth's atmosphere at 35,000 mph and start to heat becoming incandescent as it descends towards the planet.. then as fast as it came, it vanishes from sight, burnt to nothing but gas  …..

NEW DOG CAFE SET TO OPEN IN EDINBURGH…. Cafe Voltaire, a hangout space part of Cabaret Voltaire on Blair Street, will host a new event on Sundays from 12pm-6pm aimed specifically at dogs, and their owners. Brainchild of dog-lover Abi Meek, the weekly Dug Cafe will welcome anyone who wants to relax in a carefree canine environment, with proceeds of special events going to charity, the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. She said: “I am a dog owner myself and discovered that plenty of premises in Edinburgh are dog-friendly however, finding somewhere that is set up especially for dogs are few and far between. “Creating a relaxing environment for every breed of dog to socialise seemed perfect for Cafe Voltaire, which is an extremely cosy and quirky space serving up coffees, cake and cocktails.” Abi said the spacious cafe will be kitted out with relaxing areas full of toys and comfortable beanbags where people and dogs can lounge, play and even sleep. “As the venue is heavily music-orientated we will be playing soft soul and chill-out music to complete the vibe,” Abi explained. “Following on in the evening there will be live acoustic music being played until the late hours of the evening. A complete dog menu will also be on offer featuring pupacinos, dog beer, pupcakes and doggy pizza. Humans are well catered for with cakes, coffees, pizza and alcohol. “There will also be photo opportunities and dog competitions being held in order to raise money for the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home as well as a pre-loved toy donation bucket so other dogs can enjoy them.”

NAVY VETERANS’ SHOCK AT BEING BOOTED OUT OF SCOTTISH WETHERSPOON’S…. A group of Royal Navy veterans were left disgusted after being kicked out of an Edinburgh Wetherspoon pub during a reunion event. Around 25 communication veterans who served around the world on HMS Ark Royal (RO9) travelled to the Capital from all corners of the UK to catch up with lost shipmates, some of whom have not seen one another for more than 40 years. The group decided to meet at The Standing Order on George Street for a day of reminiscing, food and drink with people arriving from lunchtime. But the veterans were astounded when security staff ordered them to leave the premises at around 10.30pm claiming one member of the team giving the reason that “you’ve been here a long time”. Meanwhile other members of the group were refused re-entry. Alan Willis, 62, who attended from south London, said: “We were all absolutely astounded. We are extremely disappointed we were ejected from the pub and the reasons still are not clear. “One bouncer stated ‘you have to leave because you’ve been here a long time’ while another guy said ‘you may have had too much to drink’. “At no time was there any rowdy behaviour, no drunkenness, no foul language, no abusive behaviour, no loud voices or shouting, no upset, anger or disagreements and certainly no complaints from other users of the pub. We are just a bunch of 60+ year-old veterans spending in excess of £100+ per round on drinks and food.” The baffled veterans, some serving in the Falklands and Northern Ireland, regrouped at a nearby pub and felt there was a lack of respect to those who fought for their country.

TOURISTS RISK ERODING ISLAND BEAUTY SPOTS AS THEY CREATE PERFECT INSTAGRAM PICTURES…. Tourists visiting island beauty spots are putting them at risk of erosion by building rock formations – so they can post snaps on Instagram, conservationists have said. Stacked pyramids of stones have appeared on Unesco-listed beaches on Orkney, and at the Fairy Glen on the Isle of Skye – which recently featured in the blockbuster film The BFG. Stone stacking, which enthusiasts describe as “meditative” and “artistic”, can also be seen on Iona, Inner Hebrides. The trend has prompted concerns by residents and environmentalists that they could speed up erosion and destroy the habitat of wildlife living on the islands. Dog-walker Claire Irons, 53, spotted at least 50 of the rock formations at the Fairy Glen on Uig, Isle of Skye. The area earned its name due to a distinctive group of round grassy hills, with ponds between them. It is just not right – people should go there just to see the surroundings, not to build a pile of stones. It is causing an erosion problem CLAIRE IRONS Concerned the rocks might topple and crush her Border terrier, Treacle, Mrs Irons confronted tourists and told them to stop – but was told she was spoiling their fun. Mrs Irons said: “It’s the first time I’ve noticed it, we don’t tend to go up that way in summer. “There’s normally so many tourists around. “When I went up on a dog walk, I was amazed – you couldn’t walk on the path. “It is tourists rather than locals who do it.” Having lived on the island for five years, Mrs Irons said she was concerned that the structure of stone walls was being destroyed by tour groups. Mrs Irons added: “It is causing an erosion problem, the rocks are being taken from the surroundings and being taken from walls. It is a whole geological area. “They tend to go to the coastal bit, that’s where the rock formations are. “It is just not right – people should go there just to see the surroundings, not to build a pile of stones. “It is on a croft, where sheep graze. “I could be a bit cynical and suggest they go in on minibus tours and they need something to do.” The dog owner was concerned that a rock could topple and hit her seven-and-a-half-year-old Border terrier. She said: “Since the BFG was filmed here it has been on the film trail. “People come to Skye and they have got a list of things to do – one of them is to follow the ‘Fairy Glen’. “It’s free, that’s why people go there. “It’s been promoted more – when I first came here it wasn’t on the map. “It has crept up in the past three years.” Founder of environmental campaign group Blue Planet Society, John Hourston, believes social media including Instagram and Facebook is fuelling the problem. Mr Hourston said: “When I saw the photograph I was astounded – this is a new level. For that to be on the Isle of Skye, which you associate with isolation, is absolutely shocking. Without a doubt it is having an impact on ecology. “The photo epitomises the desecration of the natural environment. “We are talking about a base of people, backpackers and adventurers, who should have a concept of ‘leave no trace’. “The overpowering urge is to prove they’ve been there on Instagram or social media.” He said the problem was not isolated to Skye but seemed to be prevalent in Scotland, including Orkney where new structures were popping up beside neolithic formations. The beach at Skara Brae, designated a Unesco World Heritage Site.

ABERDONIANS CANNOT BOARD ABERDONIAN IN ABERDEEN…. Rail passengers in Aberdeen will not be able to board the Aberdonian steam train named after their city. A new service between Edinburgh and the city launches in March next year, but all journeys will start and finish in the capital. A new steam train service between Edinburgh and the North-east launches in March next year. Picture: Ian Georgeson North-east Labour MSP, Lewis Macdonaldsaid yesterday: “I am sure The Aberdonian steam train will be a great success, but it’s a pity that, under current plans, passengers can’t get on board in Aberdeen. I hope the operators of the new service will be able to issue single tickets both ways, as well as a return excursion from Edinburgh, so that Aberdonians can travel with The Aberdonian without having to go to Edinburgh first.” The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, which will operate the services, admitted that anybody who wants to use the trains will have to make their way to Edinburgh to get on board. And once they have been on the return trip, they will have to make their way back to Aberdeen. Five trains will run in 2019, with the potential for expansion in the following years, and the scheme has the support of Network Rail. The initiative has been assisted by the installation of a new £86,000 turntable in Aberdeen by the Ferryhill Railway Heritage Trust. But its chairman, Jon Tyler, admitted yesterday there was still plenty of work to be done before services could be run from the city. He said: “I suppose it’s just a case of demand. If a charter train could be linked into an existing itinerary, say for the proposed cruise ship visits [to the new Aberdeen Harbour], it might be possible to do it in the future. “What you have to remember is that all the main steam locomotives and rolling stock are based down south, so they would need to make extra journeys at the beginning and end if these were to start from Aberdeen.

EMPTY DUNDEE FACTORY SET TO BECOME NEW COMIC MUSEUM…. For more than a half a century it was where millions of Beano, Dandy, The Broons and Oor Wullie annuals were made. Now a vast empty printworks in Dundee is set to become home to a comic museum under plans for a £17.5 million transformation over the next decade. The present empty site where the comics and annuals were produced. Picture: Contributed Live music events, visual art exhibitions, theatre productions, festivals and conferences would also be staged in the historic West Ward Works. Work is set to get under way within months on the first phase of a project expected to create 1,100 jobs and boost Dundee’s economy by more than £50m over ten years. The project’s backers hope it will be one of the biggest cultural projects to benefit from support from a ‘Tay Cities Deal’ between the UK and Scottish governments, which is hoped to be approved within the next few months. Under a proposed timetable for the project, the first permanent occupants could be in by early next year and the first major phase of work completed by 2020. Workshops, studios and offices for artists, cultural organisations, videogame developers and other creative industries are planned as part of the development. It is thought up to 300 people could end up working in the building, which is close to both the Verdant Works – the award-winning attraction celebrating the city’s history of textile production – and Dundee University’s main campus. The two-storey comic museum at West Ward Works would showcase highlights from the archives of publishers DC Thomson, which still owns the building. Other permanent features would include a civic square, “monumental sculptures” and a permanent cafe-bar and restaurant. A charitable trust was set up last year to pursue the plans for West Ward Works, which operated from 1949 to 2010. Project director David Cook said: “The V&A is fantastic and has already had a huge impact on Dundee, but it’s the start, not the end of a process. This is really about what happens next and we hope it will be very much seen as something complementary to the V&A. We’ve spent the last year working on an architectural masterplan and a ten-year vision for the building. “The main focus of West Ward Works will be as a cultural hub. As well as the comic museum, one side of the building will have space for major exhibitions, live music, festivals, events and conferences. The other will be a working and making campus. “The comic centre would explore Dundee’s role in the story of the comic book, including the titles produced in the city and the people who worked on them. It was originally proposed for the waterfront, but this is now the preferred location.

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

Our look at Scotland today is of Dogs enjoying their pupacinos at Edinburgh’s new dog café…. What’s that Bella You want to go….

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 Saturday 29th September 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 #Scotland #News #Spain

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – Archeology News From Around The World

Friday 17th August 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  Well, the end of the week has rolled around and it’s the day the quite a few of you look forward to, Archeological Friday, where I attempt to stimulate your interest in all things old…No! I’m not talking about your Husband or Wife, I’m talking about things from the past, in the “Way back when” era .. so pour that coffee, tea or other favourite drink and pull up a chair and enjoy this Friday’s archeological discoveries…

ANCESTRAL PUEBLOANS MAY HAVE BRED SCARLET MACAWS…. STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA—According to a Smithsonian Magazine report, a new study of scarlet macaw bones unearthed in New Mexico suggests the birds were bred in captivity and raised with a great deal of specialized care and effort at a single, small aviary in what is now the southwestern United States or northwestern Mexico by ancestral Pueblo peoples between A.D. 850 and 1150. Richard George of Penn State University and his team extracted mitochondrial DNA from the remains of 14 macaws recovered from five different sites in Chaco Canyon and the Mimbres region of New Mexico. They found that all 14 birds shared a similar heritage, and more than 70 percent of them likely shared a maternal lineage. “This is important… not only the population history of macaws and human interaction, but also what was happening between groups of people,” George explained. Images of macaw chicks on Mimbres pottery also support the idea that the fast-growing birds were raised locally. It had been previously suggested that macaws in North America had been imported from the Paquimé aviary in Mexico, which was most active between A.D. 1250 and 1450. Such a long journey from Mexico to Chaco Canyon would have taken more than a month.

LOOTED ARTIFACTS RETURNED TO IRAQ…. LONDON, ENGLAND—According to a report in The Guardian, a collection of eight ancient artifacts seized by the London Metropolitan police from an antiquities dealer have been repatriated to Iraq, based upon an identification made by scholars at the British Museum. Cuneiform inscriptions on the 5,000-year-old ceramics named a Sumerian king, a temple, and a dedication, which indicated they had been taken from Iraq’s ancient city of Girsu. British Museum archaeologist Sebastian Rey and his Iraqi colleagues were able to find the holes in the Eninnu temple’s mudbrick walls that had held the objects, and broken pieces at the site that had been discarded by the looters. “This is a very happy outcome,” commented St. John Simpson, assistant keeper at the museum’s Middle East department, “nothing like this has happened for a very, very long time if ever.”

SECTION OF ROMAN-ERA STREET UNEARTHED IN BULGARIA…. PLOVDIV, BULGARIA—The Sofia Globe reports that archaeologists working in the eastern part of the agora in the ancient city of Philippopolis have uncovered a 30-foot stretch of the Cardo Maximus, or main street. They also unearthed large fragments of the main façade, columns, and architectural elements of the Odeon, which had three or four entrances and a portico. Fragments of a marble statue of a prominent citizen named Sozipatar were also recovered. Text on the fragments indicate Sozipatar was given the right to sit in the theater’s front row. The building, which had been originally used by Philippopolis’s city council, was destroyed by an earthquake in the medieval period.

CARVING TOOLS FROM EASTER ISLAND ANALYZED…. BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA—CNN reports that Dale Simpson, Jr., of the University of Queensland and colleagues think the idea that Easter Island’s Rapa Nui culture collapsed due to overuse of resources and competition to build the stone carvings known as moai may be overstated. Jo Anne Van Tilburg of the Easter Island Statue Project led a team that recently excavated four of Easter Island’s moai and uncovered more than 1,500 volcanic stone basalt carving tools. Chemical analysis of 17 of the recovered tools, which are known as toki, found that most of them came from one of three quarry complexes on the island. Simpson says this focused effort in one quarry points to craft specialization, information exchange, and cooperation among the Rapa Nui to produce the nearly one thousand statues, thought to represent important Rapa Nui ancestors. Van Tilburg cautions, however, that such focused labor may have been coerced, and more study is needed.

EXCAVATION OF ARTEMIS TEMPLE UNDERWAY IN CENTRAL GREECE…. EVIA, GREECE—A team of researchers led by Karl Reber of the Swiss Archaeological School in Greece and Amalia Karappaschalidou of the Evia Ephorate of Antiquities has uncovered a variety of artifacts at the sanctuary of Artemis near Amarynthos, according to The Greek Reporter. The site, discovered last year, was the end point of an annual procession from the ancient city of Eretria. The items include embossed tiles bearing the name “Artemis”; statue bases inscribed with dedications to Artemis, her brother Apollo, and their mother, Leto; and a copper and quartz object that may have been part of a larger statue. Scholars suggest the temple, which is thought to have been destroyed by a natural disaster in the first century B.C., and rebuilt in the second century A.D., helped to strengthen Eretria’s border. The excavation team also found evidence of earlier buildings at the site, dating back to the tenth century B.C.

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

Our Tulips today are with coffee......

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 17th August 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 #Archeology #History #Greece #Australia

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Friday 29th June 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  from Estepona on the coast of Southern Spain where the continents of Europe and Africa collide, the morning sky is filled with a myriad of stars twinkling in the heavens, a warm wind blowing from the Sahara, and one can imagine too, the smells of Arabic foods cooking for breakfast… Which reminds me, I put the Colombian coffee on to brew before Bella and I set out for our constitutional walk this morning, so let’s take a look at what the archeological world has in the papers for us to discuss today…

2,000-YEAR-OLD GRAVE EXCAVATED IN SIBERIA…. ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA—According to a report in The Siberian Times, archaeologists from the Russian Academy of Sciences have excavated a 2,000-year-old stone-lined grave containing the well-preserved burial of a woman wearing clothing made of silk and a beaded belt with a jet buckle, pottery vessels, and a birch bark box. “There was a funeral meal in the vessels, and on her chest a pouch with pine nuts,” said Natalya Solovieva. The birch bark box contained a Chinese mirror and had been placed near her head. The grave is located on the shore of the reservoir of Siberia’s Sayano-Shushenskaya dam on the Yenisei River, and has been covered with water at times since the dam's construction in the late twentieth century.

SHIPWRECK UNEARTHED IN DENMARK…. VORDINGBORG, DENMARK—According to a report in The Copenhagen Post, a well-preserved shipwreck has been found at a construction site near the eastern coast of the island of Zealand, in an area that had been under water up until the early twentieth century. The ship, made of oak some 500 years ago, was probably about 50 feet long and 20 feet wide. Archaeologists from the Museum Sydøstdanmark have recovered iron nails, caulking, and rope-work from the ship.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS INVESTIGATE WOODSTOCK CONCERT SITE…. BETHEL, NEW YORK—According to an Associated Press report, archaeologist Josh Anderson of Binghamton University and a team of researchers are investigating Max Yasgur’s farm, the site of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair, in preparation for the 50th anniversary of the concert. Grading of the hillside in the late 1990s obscured the location of the stage where Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, and others played to a crowd of more than 400,000 over a period of three days. So far, Anderson thinks his team has found a hole that marks a corner in the fence that kept the fans away from the stage. “This is a significant historic site in American culture, one of the few peaceful events that gets commemorated from the 1960s,” commented Wade Lawrence of the Museum at Bethel Woods. Boy! You know you are old, when archeologists start looking at things you were part of…..

LIMBS OF WOUNDED CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS FOUND IN VIRGINIA…. MANASSAS, VIRGINIA—According to an NPR report, a burial pit containing amputated human limbs has been discovered at Manassas National Battlefield Park. The bones in the “limb pit” were first spotted by a utility crew in 2014, and are thought to have been buried by field surgeons after the three-day Battle of Second Manassas, which is also known as the Second Battle of Bull Run. In all, two complete skeletons, 11 limbs, bullet fragments, and buttons from Union uniforms have been recovered from the pit. All of the limbs bear evidence of wounds and amputation cuts. Physical anthropologist Doug Owsley of the Smithsonian Institution explained that the striations left on the bones by the surgeons’ saws reveal their skills—the doctors started slowly to set the saw teeth, cut quickly through the bone, and then slowed again as they finished the cut to avoid further damage to the patient. National Park Service archaeologist Brandon Bies thinks the soldiers whose limbs ended up in the pit were wounded during a charge up a ridge called the Deep Cut, where thousands of Confederate soldiers were waiting to fire on them with rifles and muskets. Medical records and isotopic analysis of the bones may allow researchers to identify the soldiers and the surgeons who operated on them.

LARGE-SCALE WHALING MAY DATE TO IRON AGE…. UPPSALA, SWEDEN—A report in New Historian states that the practice of large-scale whaling may be several centuries older than previously thought. Andreas Hennius of Uppsala University and his colleagues examined board-game pieces dating to the Late Iron Age in museum collections in Sweden, and found that most of them were made of whalebone dating to the mid-sixth century A.D. The large supply and standardized forms of the game pieces suggest the scale of production was beyond the whalebone supply available from the carcasses of beached whales. Analysis of the game pieces with ZooMS, or Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometer, showed they had all been made from the bones of the North Atlantic right whale, or Eubalaena glacialis, which swam slowly and close to shore, and floated after it was killed because it had so much blubber. In Norway, archaeologists have uncovered evidence of large boathouses and features for processing blubber that also date to the sixth century. The researchers think the game pieces may have been crafted in Norway and transported to Sweden.

EVIDENCE OF IRON AGE BEER FOUND IN SWEDEN…. LUND, SWEDEN—Archaeobotanist Mikael Larsson of Lund University and a team of researchers have found evidence of large-scale beer production at Uppåkra, an Iron-Age trade center in what is now Sweden, according to a New Historian report. Carbonized, germinated grains, dated to between A.D. 400 and 600, were found near several ovens in an area without living quarters, suggesting the people of the settlement reserved the space for the large-scale production of malt. The grains would have been soaked in water so that they would germinate and produce fermentable sugars, then dried at low temperatures in the ovens. Larsson says processing grains into malt in this way is indicative of beer brewing. The beer produced at Uppåkra may have been used for feasting and trade.

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

Our Tulips today is a profussion of Yellow and Purple...

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 29th June 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

#Archeology #History #Tulips #news #blog

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Wednesday 12th September 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader…. Light rain is falling, shall we stay or shall we go is the question of the moment.. go is the answer, and Bella and I emerge in the very early morning, streets glistening with rain, light from the sodium street lamps casting a golden tone to the otherwise grey sidewalks… The soft sound of water running towards the ocean is our companion today, Bella elects for the semi dry, section under the trees to read the local information, I stand and wait, no rush on my behalf, she wanders around, and the walks back to me nuzzles my hand, and looks to home…..

HUGE GOLD-ENCRUSTED ROCKS UNEARTHED IN AUSTRALIA…. More than 2,400 ounces of gold were found in the largest rock, RNC Minerals says Miners in Western Australia say they have discovered two huge gold-encrusted rocks that are each estimated to be worth millions of dollars. The largest specimen, weighing 95 kg (210lb), was found to contain more than 2,400 ounces of gold, Canadian miner RNC Minerals said. The company said it had extracted gold worth about C$15m (£9m; $11m) from a mine near Kalgoorlie last week. One mining engineer described the finds as "exceedingly rare". "People do still record finding nuggets in the goldfields, but typically they are less than several ounces," said Prof Sam Spearing, director of the Western Australia School of Mines at Curtin University. The mining company valued the largest rock at about C$4m. It said the second-largest - a 63kg specimen with an estimated 1,600 ounces of gold - was worth C$2.6m.

SWISS NURTURE CANNABIS FOR MEDICINAL USE…. Mention Swiss farming and images of dairy cows spring to mind - not cannabis plants. But now the government says it wants to do more research into medicinal cannabis and make treatments with it more available. On a farm in lush green countryside, an hour from the capital Berne, Markus Lüdi proudly surveys his crop. It's almost harvest time, and this year, after the long hot summer, it's likely to be a good one. His plants are valuable - as shown by the high fence and electronic gate protecting them. Markus is actually a chemist, not a farmer, and his crop consists of hundreds of cannabis plants, which he uses to produce cannabis-based medicine. Switzerland has flirted with legalising cannabis for 25 years, without ever taking the plunge. Possession of the drug for recreational use has been decriminalised, but cultivating or selling large quantities of cannabis containing more than 1% of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the key psychoactive element in the plant, is a crime. Not so for Markus, however, as his plants are designated for medicinal use.

MEXICO VIOLENCE: REMAINS OF 166 FOUND IN VERACRUZ MASS GRAVE…. The skulls of at least 166 people have been found in a mass grave in Mexico's eastern state of Veracruz. State prosecutor Jorge Winckler said the skulls and other human remains had been there for at least two years. The exact location is not being disclosed for security reasons, he added. Drug traffickers have used Veracruz as a dumping ground for their victims for many years. In March 2017, 250 skulls were found in another mass grave there. Mr Winckler told reporters that investigators had also found about 200 items of clothing, more than 100 identity cards and other personal belongings. Officials are focusing on the skulls to work out the exact number of victims. Drones and ground-penetrating radar are helping to locate the remains and forensic experts are still working at the scene, officials added. Mr Winckler could not rule out finding more victims. Relatives of people who have disappeared in Mexico have long been campaigning for more to be done to help them find their loved ones. Drug-related violence in Mexico has soared since 2006 when the army was deployed to fight the powerful cartels. Since then more than 200,000 people have been killed, including a record 28,702 last year.

AUSTRALIAN POLICE FIND 'UP TO' FIVE BODIES IN A HOUSE IN PERTH…. Up to five bodies have been found in a house in suburb of Perth, according to police in Western Australia. The dead include women and children. Assistant commissioner Paul Steele said the incident was "tragic" but that there were no ongoing safety concerns. He said officers made the discovery on Coode Street in Bedford after a man attended a regional police station. The man, who is in his 20s, is in custody. It is not yet known if the victims were related. Mr Steele called the discovery "heartbreaking" and said the tragedy would send a ripple through the wider community. He said forensic teams were on the scene and investigators were trying to piece together a timeline of events. In July, a 19-year-old man was charged with the murders of two children and their mother in another Perth suburb, Ellenbrook. Two month before that, seven people were found dead at a rural property in a town of Osmington, 280km (170 miles) south of Perth. It was the country's worst mass shooting since 1996. Police treated it as a murder-suicide, saying resident Peter Miles killed himself and six relatives, including his four grandchildren.

HUNDREDS OF ROMAN COINS UNEARTHED IN ITALIAN THEATER…. Jackpot! The cache of perfectly preserved gold coins was discovered in the basement of a theater in the northern city of Como that was due to be demolished. Dating back to the 5th century, the coins are estimated to be worth millions of dollars. Experts will examine the coins in a restoration laboratory, while officials say work at the site — where a luxury residence was planned for construction — will be suspended for further excavation. Culture Minister Alberto Bonisoli called the area “a real treasure for our archaeology.”

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

Our Tulips today are being looked down on,

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 12th September 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 #Spain #Tulips #Bella #Coffee

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Tuesday 11th September 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  Can you picture Bella and I both standing at the balcony railing watching rain falling at 3:30am, well that’s what happened.. heavy rain pounding the streets and sidewalks of Estepona the town I call home… rain falling so hard it bounced back up 3 or 4 feet giving a mystical effect in the early morn… then the rain stopped, and Bella and I made for the streets glistening in the street lamp light, certainly no beach or hermitage this morning, just Bella’s ablutions to perform and then as quick as possible back home to the dry…Thunder rumbled in the far distance as a warning of the emanate approach of more rain.. we turned and arrived back to the safety of the house as nature washed the streets once again….

IS THE WORLD READY FOR A SMALLPOX REVIVAL?.... In 1796, Edward Jenner injected a milkmaid’s pus into a boy’s arm and made the discovery that eventually eliminated smallpox. Researchers have since learned the modern vaccine differs from Jenner’s original — and that could be problematic, especially if the disease, eradicated in 1980, were to resurface through terrorism or another route. Between 30 and 88 percent of people exposed to the virus can become infected, and a third who contract the disease would die. Scientists are trying to update the inoculation, using century-old vaccine samples from labs and even museums.

COULD EUROPE FINALLY GIVE AMERICA A RUN FOR ITS MONEY?.... It was OK when the U.S. was the friendly global financial gatekeeper. But now Washington is enforcing sanctions on Iran that Europe never asked for, sparking serious discussion of creating a new financial system not dominated by the almighty dollar. Top officials have even suggested that Europe, like rogue states, might try to conduct business with an eye toward evading sanctions. As one former U.S. Treasury official observed, “We may be at a point where our closest allies are working against us.”

MOTHER AND CHILD SURVIVE BAKER STREET TUBE TRACK FALL…. A mother and child who accidentally fell on to a Tube track moments before a train arrived escaped unhurt by moving into a pit under the track. Police said the woman was pushing a buggy along a platform at Baker Street station in London on Friday night as she checked the arrivals board. Distracted, she veered too close to the edge and fell down. The father jumped down to help and the three of them moved into a pit beneath the track as a train passed over them. None of them was seriously hurt, but they were taken to hospital for checks, British Transport Police (BTP) said. The incident happened on the Jubilee Line, on the southbound strip of platform nine, TfL said. BTP said an investigation was "continuing" into the exact circumstances of what happened.

SPAIN PARISHIONER BOTCHES JESUS AND MARY STATUE RESTORATION…. A set of 15th Century sculptures have been garishly repainted by a Spanish parishioner in the latest botched amateur restoration attempt to attract derision in the country. In one of the previously plain wooden statues, Jesus was given a bright green robe while Mary got a bright pink headscarf and eyeliner. Another statue showed St Peter, now dressed in deep red. They are in a chapel in a hamlet in northern Spain's Asturias region. One of the 28 residents of El Ranadoiro, Maria Luisa Menendez, was given permission from the local priest to paint the figurines, local newspaper El Comercio reported. "I'm not a professional, but I always liked to do it, and the figures really needed to be painted. So I painted them as I could, with the colours that looked good to me, and the neighbours liked it," she told the newspaper, quoted by AFP. However Asturias officials were less pleased, with the principality's Education Adviser Genaro Alonso describing it to Efe news agency as a "vengeance rather than a restoration".

US WOMAN JAILED FOR SMUGGLING COCAINE IN HIGH HEELS…. A US woman who said she was tricked by a fake internet suitor into smuggling drugs into Australia has been jailed. Denise Marie Woodrum, 51, was arrested at Sydney Airport last year after border officials found cocaine stuffed inside high heels and other belongings in her luggage. In January, she pleaded guilty to the illegal import but told the court she was a victim of an online romance scam. A judge found she had willingly participated in the operation. On Thursday, the New South Wales District Court sentenced Woodrum, from Missouri, to a maximum of seven-and-a-half years in jail. "I do not accept that she is genuinely contrite for her offending as opposed to being sorry for the situation she now finds herself caught in," said Judge Penelope Wass, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

GREAT YARMOUTH STRANDED MALAVIYA TWENTY SHIP PUT UP FOR SALE…. An Indian-registered ship impounded in an English port for more than two years is finally on the verge of being sold. The Malaviya Twenty has been stuck in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk since June 2016 due to legal wrangles and is now being sold by the Admiralty Marshal. Bids for the ship will open on Tuesday, with the proceeds going to pay debts including crew wages and port fees. Captain Nikesh Rastogi said he would breathe a "huge sigh of relief" at the prospect of going home to Mumbai. Capt Rastogi joined the already-marooned boat 18 months ago but has not been paid since late last year, along with his three crew members. They have been stuck aboard the boat, a supply vessel, in the town's port in the meantime. The Malaviya Twenty - estimated to be worth between £700,000 and £800,000 - was "arrested" by the Admiralty Marshal when the crew's lawyers secured a High Court order last month. The boat's owners went into liquidation in January. "There has to be a certain amount of resilience and fortitude," said Capt Rastogi. "We hope there's a suitable quote by the 11th when the tenders open and on the 12th we could be enjoying in-flight meals. "It would be a huge sigh of relief. The worst is over... the Marshal has been kind enough to arrest the vessel. "Once you leave this location... it will hit you that you are finally free." Capt Rastogi joked he had been away from India for so long he would have to read up on what his home country was like. He said he and the crew had stayed on the boat as they feared it could be deemed a derelict and taken over, meaning they would go unpaid.

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

Our Tulips today were caught in the rain....

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 11th September 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 #Spain #Tulips #Travel #Coffee

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – Historical and Archeological News From Scotland

Friday 7th September 2018

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you….  The first thing I will ask you to do, is SHARE this edition of The Daily Thistle as Facebook has restricted me once again from sharing to groups I do not control or am an Admin of… so please SHARE the hell out of this post… on a more Happier note they have been digging up the Queens garden and finding all sorts of stuff and as I get more information I shall let you know.. so read on and enjoy.. I’m going to have another cup of coffee..

QUEEN'S EDINBURGH RESIDENCE YIELDS 800-YEAR-OLD ARTIFACTS…. EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND—According to a BBC report, archaeologists have uncovered artifacts going back 800 years at the Palace of Holyrood House, Queen Elizabeth II's official residence in Scotland. Discoveries include a twelfth-century jug fragment, a horse skeleton, and a medieval shoe, as well as a cache of oyster shells and wine bottles. The latter may provide insight into the diets of courtiers and ambassadors during the reigns of Mary, Queen of Scots, and James VI of Scotland, who became James I after being crowned king of England in 1603. Researchers also unearthed wine and spirit vessels, food remains, and fragments of children's games, which belonged to families living in nearby tenements during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. "The survey has provided a unique opportunity to understand more about the fascinating development of the Abbey Strand and its surroundings," says archaeologist Gordon Ewart, referring to the stretch of Edinburgh's Royal Mile that culminates at the palace, "and to explore how the site has been the historic and symbolic bridge between the palace and the city of Edinburgh for centuries."

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…. This day in 1836 saw the birth of Henry Campbell Bannerman, the British Prime Minister. Born in Glasgow and educated at Glasgow and Cambridge, Bannerman became the Liberal MP for Stirling in 1868, a position he held until his death. He climbed the parliamentary ranks, serving as Secretary for Ireland during Gladstone's administration in 1884 and entering the cabinet as Secretary for War in 1886, before becoming leader of the Liberal Party in 1899. Bannerman became Prime Minister in 1905 following Balfour's resignation, and led his party to a landslide victory in the 1906 general election. His brilliant cabinet included Asquith, Lloyd George, and Winston Churchill. Ill health forced Bannerman to hand over the leadership to Asquith, and he died two weeks later in 1908.

GAVIN MAXWELL PASSED AWAY ON THIS DAY…. He lived from 15 July 1914 to 7 September 1969. He was a naturalist and author, best known for his work with otters. His most popular book was Ring of Bright Water, published in 1960. This described how he brought an otter back from Iraq and raised it in Scotland. The otter, Mijbil, was eventually identified as a previously unknown sub-species of the Smooth-coated Otter, since named after Maxwell: Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli. The book went on to sell over a million copies and was made into a film. The sub-species Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli may have fared less well: following extensive drainage of its natural environment in Iraq it is feared to be extinct… I must at this point tell you he had nothing to do with a Silver Hammer..

IN THIS WEEK…. The Shetland Isles were mortgaged to Scotland for 8,000 florins as part of the marriage agreement between the future James III and Princess Margrethe of Denmark.  For the most northerly railway in Britain, go to Thurso. For the "most northerly" of just about anything else, you need to come to Shetland. The name, sometimes in the past referred to as Zetland (hence the "ZE" beginning to postcodes), comes from the Norse name for the islands, Hjaltland. For accommodation in Shetland see the links in the "See and Stay" menu above. See the map below for an outline of Shetland and links to connecting areas. Because most maps of Scotland include Shetland in a box near the top right hand corner, not many people have a strong sense of where this archipelago of 100 islands and islets lies. It comes as a surprise to many to discover it is nearer Bergen than Aberdeen; that it is further north than Moscow or southern Greenland; and that Lerwick is as far as Milan from London. The population of Shetland is around 23,000. Shetland was Norse until 8 September 1468, when the islands were mortgaged to Scotland for 8,000 florins as part of the marriage agreement between the future James III and Princess Margrethe of Denmark. In 1472 the Scots annexed both Shetland and Orkney.

HUGH MACDIARMID PASSED AWAY THIS WEEK IN 1951….Hugh MacDiarmid, was the pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve, who lived from 11 August 1892 to 9 September 1978. He is widely regarded as the most important Scottish poet of the 20th Century. He moved with his wife to Biggar in 1951 and that was where died on 9th September 1978. In all Grieve/MacDiarmid published around 30 books and many shorter works and articles. The poetry he produced in his later life is often viewed as difficult and inaccessible, but brilliant. The two volume Complete Poems, published after Grieve's death, ran to 1500 pages.

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

Our look at Scotland today is of a peculiar nature or is that, nature at it's most peculiar...?

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 7th September 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 #Scotland #News #Spain

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Saturday 1st September 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  Saturday, 3.30am and I can hear the beach calling already, so I think I know what I shall be doing when the sun comes up, and that’s laying on the sand, enjoying the wonderful weather… but first it’s a walk with Bella, so out the front door, turn right or turn left, none of that she wants to walk down through the old town, must be a smell that’s drawing her to that part.. down the narrow lanes we wander, brightly coloured pots fixed on the walls with a profusion of flowers spilling over the edges, purple bougainvillea, looking almost black in the sodium lighting, climbs the frame against the old walls of the museum, up the steps and past the excavations where they recently found a Roman villa, then twist and turn through the narrow alleyways and as if by magic, we are back home…… enjoy your week end…..

ENDANGERED OLIVE RIDLEY SEA TURTLES FOUND DEAD OFF MEXICO…. Fishermen in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca have found about 300 dead sea turtles entangled in fishing nets. The find comes just days after another 102 olive ridley turtles were found dead in neighbouring Chiapas state. Olive ridley turtles, which lay their eggs on the beaches of a number of Mexican states between May and September, are considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. The cause of their death is still under investigation. It is not clear whether they got caught in the nets while still alive or were already dead when they became entangled. Experts say they could have been killed by harmful algae, fish hooks or could have suffocated while trapped in the nets. Mexico banned the capture of sea turtles in 1990 and there are stiff penalties for anyone killing them. A specialised federal attorney is investigating the case.

AUSTRALIAN WORKER OVERPAID BY A$500,000…. A worker in Australia has been paid more than 100 times their normal salary because of a decimal point in the wrong place. The worker was meant to get a salary of A$4,921.76 but instead found A$492,176 ($360,700; £280,250) in their account. The mistake was reported by the territory's auditor-general who put it down to human error. But the worker, based in a remote area of the Northern Territory, resisted temptation and returned the money. The auditor-general noted that the repayment was made four weeks later, but would have been made sooner if the worker had not been based in a remote area and had to travel to a bank. The report blamed two human errors - the incorrect data entry in the first place and then the failure to deal with a system-generated alert. It was one of 743 overpayments made by the Northern Territory's government departments between July 2017 and January 2018, said the report. Of that, $767,000 has still not been returned by the end of January. The Department of Corporate and Information Services said overpayments represented about 0.2% of the 1.2m payroll transactions it made in the NT each year. It said it had put in place several system enhancements to prevent such large overpayments from happening again.

HEADLESS CORPSE FOUND IN FISH TANK AT HOME OF MISSING MAN…. A headless corpse has been found inside a fish tank at the home of a man missing for several weeks, police in San Francisco say. Homeowner Brian Egg, 65, had been reported missing by his family and neighbours late last month. Neighbours later reported suspicious activity at the house and police searched it with dogs, eventually making the gruesome discovery. The body has not yet been positively identified, investigators added. Police Commander Greg McEachern told reporters on Tuesday that an autopsy was being carried out and that the missing person's case remained open. When Mr Egg's disappearance was first reported, officers called at his home in the South of Market district three times but received no response and saw no suspicious circumstances, a statement from San Francisco Police Department said. But on 14 August neighbours raised the alarm after seeing a "private crime-scene cleaning truck" outside the building along with a suspicious person. Police arrested the individual and entered the building. There was no sign of Mr Egg but investigators found evidence including cleaning products and "suspicious odours in the residence". The next day a more detailed search was carried out and human remains were found inside a fish tank in what Mr McEachern described as "a concealed area of the residence". Two suspects in the case were initially charged with homicide, fraud, theft, identity theft and elder abuse, but the charges were dismissed by prosecutors. One of those arrested remains in custody for a probation violation, officials said. In the meantime, police are asking for any businesses or individuals who were contacted by someone purporting to be Mr Egg to come forward.

BLIND DOG SAVED IN 'DRAMATIC' LEPE BEACH RESCUE…. A blind dog has been saved from the sea off Hampshire after it got into "grave difficulties". The small border collie, called Fly, had gone into the water at Lepe beach in the New Forest on Tuesday afternoon. Fly's owner Mark Cowing jumped in to try and save his pet but could not contend with strong currents and had to be helped to shore by a kayaker. A coastguard helicopter found the struggling dog 200m (656ft) offshore and directed an RNLI crew to his aid. Mr Cowing, 55, who is from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, and is on holiday in the area, said: "We were literally playing on the shoreline when all of a sudden he took it in his head to swim to the Isle of Wight. Mr Cowing praised the emergency services and wants to trace the kayaker, who said he had heart trouble, to thank him personally. The RNLI said the dog, which had lost its sight due to cataracts, was "in grave difficulties and the lifeboat arrived just in time" to carry out the "dramatic rescue".

GOAT SETS 30 EXOTIC BIRDS LOOSE IN CARDIGAN WITH HEADBUTT…. A pet goat set more than 30 exotic birds loose when it headbutted their aviary door open. Vicky Richards-Barton found more than half of her cockatiels and budgies gone and the aviary door lock broken on Wednesday - suspecting her goat Udupi. Eight birds have returned home, but at least two dozen are still on the loose in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. Ms Barton-Richards guessed Udupi broke through the lock in an attempt to treat himself to some bird feed. She said she fed her birds at about 20:00 BST before going out for a walk with her husband. By the time she returned two hours later, the birds had gone. "I was feeding the birds and one of my goats came in behind me into the aviary and decided to eat some of the bird seed," Ms Barton-Richards said. "I imagine he headbutted the clip, which was in two pieces, and the bolt was open." Eight birds, including these cockatiels, have returned home. Ms Barton-Richards estimates she has about 50 birds, with more than 30 flying away after the door was broken. She has been helped by a friend, who runs a pet shop, handing out millet to people in an attempt to entice the birds into gardens, while some flew back on their own. But one man got more than he bargained for when rescuing one of the birds. "One bird was found in St Dogmaels, about three miles away, and she bit the man really, really hard. She was our matriarch so we're pleased to have her back," she added. She says the birds recognise her clothes and voice, and hopes as many as possible can be recovered, but worries predators such as Sparrowhawks and Red Kites may catch some.

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

Our Tulips today are certainly 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 Saturday 1st September 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 #Spain #Tulips #Travel #Coffee

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Monday 27th August 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  I hope you slept well and have woken full of the joys of summer… The meteors are quite beautiful this morning, I stood and watched with Bella as streaks of fire zipped across the night sky, then together we walked back to the house, Bella thinking about the cookie I promised her and me looking forward to the fresh Colombian Coffee that was brewing while we walked, it’s 3 years ago that we lost Sadie and almost 5 years since Mackie left us, but I believe they still walk the town with us in the mornings……So before I start getting all maudlin on us, let’s take a look at what’s happened in this mixed up world we call Earth….

DRUG TUNNEL RAN FROM OLD KFC IN ARIZONA TO MEXICO BEDROOM…. US authorities have found a secret drug tunnel stretching from a former KFC in the state of Arizona to Mexico. The 600ft (180m) passageway was in the basement of the old restaurant in San Luis, leading under the border to a home in San Luis Rio Colorado. Authorities made the discovery last week and have arrested the southern Arizona building's owner. They were alerted to the tunnel after the suspect, Ivan Lopez, was pulled over, according to KYMA News. During the traffic stop, police dogs reportedly led officers to two containers of hard narcotics with a street value of more than $1m in Lopez's vehicle. Investigators say the containers held 118kg (260lb) of methamphetamine, six grams of cocaine, 3kg of fentanyl, and 21kg of heroin. Agents searched Lopez's home and his old KFC, discovering the tunnel's entrance in the kitchen of the former fast-food joint. The passageway was 22ft deep, 5ft tall and 3ft wide, and ended at a trap door under a bed in a home in Mexico, said US officials. The drugs are believed to have been pulled up through the tunnel with a rope. This is not the first such discovery - two years ago a 2,600ft tunnel was found by authorities in San Diego, California. Authorities said it was one of the longest such drug tunnels ever discovered, used to transport an "unprecedented cache" of cocaine and marijuana. In July alone, US Border Patrol seized 15kg of heroin, 24lbs of cocaine, 327kg of methamphetamine and 1,900kg of marijuana at border checkpoints nationwide… Comment: Now we know what the “Secret” ingredient is in the Col’s recipe…..

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION 'CONSIDERS FUNDING GUNS IN SCHOOLS'…. The Trump administration is considering allowing schools to access federal education funding to purchase guns for teachers, US media report. The Department of Education (DoE) is looking at allowing states to use academic enrichment funds for firearms, the New York Times first reported. The federal grant being considered for this purpose is one that does not specifically prohibit buying weapons. Congress forbids using federal funds for school safety to purchase weapons. DoE spokeswoman Elizabeth Hill told CBS News: "The department is constantly considering and evaluating policy issues, particularly issues related to school safety." "The secretary nor the department issues opinions on hypothetical scenarios," she added… Comment: I cannot think of a more irresponsible action on behalf of a government…

AUSTRIA REJECTS 'GIRLISH' IRAQI ASYLUM SEEKER…. Austrian officials rejected an Iraqi migrant's asylum application because he was too "girlish", local media say. The 27-year-old's claim to be gay was deemed "unbelievable", in part due to his behaviour, according to reports. He can appeal against the decision. It comes just days after Amnesty International criticised Austria's asylum processes as "dubious". The government has hit back at the criticism, saying its asylum officials work appropriately. In the latest case, the Iraqi asylum seeker was felt to exhibit "stereotypical, in any case excessive 'girlish' behaviour (expressions, gestures)", which seemed fake, Austria's Kurier newspaper reported. Said to be an active member in local LGBT groups, he is understood to have fled Iraq in 2015, fearing for his life. However a spokesman for Austria's asylum office said the decision had been reviewed, and rejected the accusation it contained any "clichéd phrasing" by officials in Styria state, Kurier added. It is the second controversial asylum case in recent days. Last week, activists said that an 18-year-old Afghan asylum seeker had his application rejected because he did not "act or dress" like a homosexual. "The inhuman language in asylum claims does not conform with the requirements of a fair, rule-of-law procedure," Amnesty International said in a report. Interior Ministry spokesman Christoph Poelzl also rejected the accusation officials used "inhuman" language, telling news agency AFP that all employees who assess asylum claims receive training. However, the official involved in the Afghan asylum seeker's case is no longer involved in assessing applications, he added. Austria is currently run by a coalition of the conservative People's Party and the far-right Freedom Party, which came to power following an election dominated by Europe's migrant crisis last year. Comment: Immigration should not be based on “Sexual Preference” especially when determined by the “Far Right” party…

CHINA ARRESTS OVER TANG DYNASTY RELIC THEFTS…. Chinese police have arrested 26 people suspected of stealing relics from an ancient burial site. The gang allegedly seized almost 650 objects, including gold and silver cutlery and jewellery, from the Dulan Tombs, which lie on the ancient Silk Road in northwest China. The stolen items date back to the 7th Century, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security said in a statement. The suspects allegedly tried to sell them for about $11m (£7.8m). The objects were said to have been illegally excavated from the tombs, located in the north-western province of Qinghai. Silk, gold, silver, bronze ware and other items have been unearthed at the tombs, of which there are more than 2,000, since 1982. Experts believe that many of the items are of huge historical value as they show cultural exchanges and interactions between East and West during the early Tang Dynasty (618-907). Following the arrests, police will increase their crackdown on cultural relics crimes to better protect the country's cultural heritage, the Chinese government said. (See photographs at https://www.facebook.com/groups/OurPastBeneathOurFeet/ )

INDIA'S 'BIGGEST' PET RESCUE OPERATION IN KERALA FLOODS….  When rescuers in India's flood-ravaged southern state of Kerala reached a flooded hut in the city of Thrissur, the couple living there refused to leave without their 25 dogs. The water was rising, and the dogs were huddled on a single bed. The rescue workers had arrived on boats, and Sunitha, who uses only one name, flatly told them she and her husband would not leave without their stray and abandoned pets. "Our neighbours had been moved to schools and camps nearby. Rescue workers said that we could not bring our dogs to the relief camp," she said. So the workers went back and got in touch with an animal rescue group. Sally Varma of Humane Society International told the BBC that their volunteers arrived soon, and arranged for the dogs to be taken to a special shelter for affected animals. Ms Varma said she has started a fundraiser for the family and its pets so a kennel could be built at their home after the floods recede. Nearly 400 people have died in the worst flooding Kerala has witnessed in a century. Thousands remain stranded. More than one million people have been displaced, with many of them taking shelter in thousands of relief camps across the state. But what is striking is how hundreds of animals are being rescued in the affected areas. In what appears to be one of the biggest animal rescue operations during a natural calamity in India, hundreds of volunteers and animal rescue workers have travelled to flood-affected areas. Social media is awash with dramatic rescue videos: a rescuer removing his life jacket and putting it on a Labrador to help it swim to higher ground; drenched dogs being taken out of flooded homes and kennels; and country boats and inflatable rafts carrying dogs, goats and cats to safety. Rescuers have waded through water, and travelled on boats and rafts to treat, feed and rescue hundreds of animals - dogs, cats, goats, cows, cattle, ducks, and even snakes - as the waters have begun receding. Trucks with animal feed and medicines are reaching affected districts. Some animals have been moved to shelter camps, and others to higher ground. A number of animal rescue help lines have been set up, and rescuers are using WhatsApp and social media to respond to calls. "We are getting more than 100 calls a day on our helpline. The number of animals that have been moved to higher ground and rescued must be in hundreds," Anand Shiva of Kerala Animal Rescue said.

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

Our Tulips today are from India, where the Tulip garden with the backdrop of the mighty Zabarwan range of mountains was thrown open for the public, on Sunday by Minister for Floriculture Javid Mustafa Mir.

Asia’s largest tulip garden, which has about 12.5 lakh tulips of 50 varieties in its lap on the banks of world famous Dal Lake in the summer capital, Srinagar, marked the beginning of new tourism season in the Valley.

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 27th August 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 #Spain #India #China #USA #Bella

[euroman1945-blog]

My Thought For The Day....

And The Silence... I sat on a large boulder, by the side of a small stream, whose sound broke the silence of the late afternoon, as the water tumbled over the stones and rocks.. leaves had gathered at the bank of the fast flowing water, some falling in and being whisked away down the streams course, to, I know not where.. I made myself comfortable, and opened the flask, pouring a hot coffee, that the lady at the hotel had made before I set out on my adventure earlier today..unwrapped the sandwich, and enjoyed the silence as Autumn beech leaves gathered around a stream near Bracklinn falls in the Trossachs in the late afternoon.. Robert McAngus Wednesday 22nd August 2018

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – Archeological News From Scotland

Friday 20th July 2018

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. Friday, our chance to see what has been discovered this week in Scotland, or more to the point, what archeologists have released for us, mere mortals to read about…  I know I have spoken about it before, but let me explain again as several people have writain to me asking” Why does it take so long from discovery to publication?” the answers always the same, dating of the object, proving it really is a “Roman” “Viking” Pict” item, in some cases it takes years to prove the age, provenance etc., of an object… but enough of me, go read and enjoy… and the next time you are walking, take care of what you kick, it may be a Roman Pot…..

IRON-AGE WOODEN BOWL FOUND IN SCOTLAND…. SOUTH RONALDSAY, SCOTLAND—A 2,000-year-old wooden bowl has been found in a chamber accessed with a series of stone-cut steps beneath Cairns Broch, a round tower at an Iron-Age village site on South Ronaldsay, one of Scotland’s Orkney Islands, according to a report in The Independent. Researchers led by Martin Carruthers of the University of the Highlands and Islands think the bowl may have been placed there before the broch was sealed and abandoned. “In appearance, the bowl is similar in shape to certain of the pottery vessels of the period,” Carruthers said. The bowl’s round base suggests it may have been passed from person to person, similar to the way a traditional alcoholic drink is passed in a wooden vessel at weddings in Orkney today. The excavation of the chamber also uncovered what could be woven plant fibers, and two other wooden objects that look like pegs or stakes.

EXCAVATIONS AT NEWCRAIGHALL SHOW A LANDSCAPE OF CHANGE…. EDINBURGH-- Archaeological investigations coupled with historical research of Newcraighall on the south-east edge of Edinburgh reveal a complex story of land use changes from prehistory to the present day. Between 2011 and 2016, GUARD Archaeology teams led by Alan Hunter Blair undertook a series of surveys and excavations across land that had previously been part of the policies of Brunstane House and and Newhailes House. While the earliest activity encountered comprised groups of pits dating to the late Mesolithic/early Neolithic, late Neolithic and Bronze Age, the majority of features dated from the medieval and post-medieval periods through to modern times. These included various sized coal pits or shafts, and the foundations of four colliery buildings, arranged around a now infilled mineshaft on the southern site. Elements of a designed landscape associated with Brunstane House included a ha-ha that traversed the northern site. The presence of several large culverts may also have connections with both landscape alterations and the coal-mining industry. Fragments of curved and linear ditches appear to be remnants of earlier field systems dating from the medieval and post-medieval periods and associated with extensive remnants of broad rig cultivation found across the two areas.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS TO SEARCH FOR LOST JACOBITE ARMY CAMP NEAR STIRLING…. The first survey of a potential site for the Jacobite army camp shortly before the battles of Falkirk and Culloden is planned for this August. In January 1746, while pursuing the last siege of Stirling Castle, Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed at Bannockburn House, owned by local Jacobite supporters, and it is thought that some of his troops camped in the grounds. The House itself became forfeit following the defeat of the Jacobite army at Culloden later in 1746. The niece of the owner, Hugh Paterson, was the mother, Clementina, of the Prince’s only recognised child, Charlotte. For the first time an organised archaeological survey is planned, by the Community Trust that bought the 17th-century house and its grounds in late 2017.  Willie McEwan, vice-chair of Bannockburn House Trust, said: ‘We hope to establish the location of the camp and to find examples of both daily camp life such as cooking utensils and of the equipment men and horses would have used in battle.' Archaeologists from GUARD Archaeology Ltd will guide metal detectorists and diggers in carrying out the archaeological investigations. Volunteers are invited to come along and help with the archaeological survey of this site, which is adjacent to Bannockburn House. Details and how to apply for a place or to support the work can be found here and here and here. ‘This is a unique and exciting opportunity to try and resolve the mystery of where the Jacobite army camped in January 1746 before marching to the battles of Falkirk and Culloden,’ said John Atkinson of GUARD Archaeology Ltd. The last great Jacobite Rising, the ’45 is one of the key events in British history. It finally settled years of conflict and features both the last siege of Stirling Castle and the last battle on British soil (Culloden). It resulted in the banning of tartan and the suppression of Gaelic culture across Highland Scotland.

COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY DIG UNCOVERS WHAT MAY BE THE REMAINS OF A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT…. CAITHNESS-- Volunteers at a 'hands-on' archaeology dig organised by the Caithness Broch Project have uncovered remains which may turn out to be part of a previously unknown prehistoric settlement. More than 40 people attended the event organised by Caithness Broch Project and experienced ‘hands on archaeology’ in a series of trial trenches at Thusater Burn near Thurso in the north of Scotland. In fact, so many people turned up that an additional trench had to be opened. This trench was soon commandeered by the children of the volunteers who under supervision from the ORCA team started to develop their excavation skills at a pace! All three excavated trenches soon revealed archaeological features consistent with that anticipated by a previous geophysical survey conducted by the ORCA team several weeks ago. Rubble and stony deposits containing cultural material were encountered, although perhaps the most exciting structural find was a perfectly preserved hearth constructed of orthostats, a base slab and packing stones. Under the blazing sun, the team’s hard work was also rewarded by finding a hammer stone and possible striking stone used for starting fires and a wonderfully preserved pigs tooth. The latter find is usually associated with high status sites. The investigation raised the possibility of the mound containing prehistoric structural remains although more research is needed to confirm their extent and the actual period of occupation. The hearth, together with the finds point to domestic use – perhaps a ‘wag’ or, even more excitingly for the Caithness Broch Project, the remains of a broch.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS TO SEARCH FOR 'LOST' MONASTERY AT COLDINGHAM THIS SUMMER…. COLDINGHAM PRIORY, BERWICHSHIRE, A team of archaeologists are to begin searching for the ancient monastery established by King Oswald’s sister near Coldingham. Somewhere near the village of Coldingham in Berwickshire lie the remains of an ancient monastery founded by Princess Æbbe nearly 1,400 years ago. Its location has eluded archaeologists for decades, but now a team armed with new evidence is asking for help from the public to reignite the search. Oswald is perhaps best known as the King of Northumbria who returned from exile to reclaim the family throne and founded a small monastery on Lindisfarne in AD 635. Famous for being where the place where the Lindisfarne Gospels were created, and the first place in the British Isles to be targeted by the Vikings, the monastery is now one of England’s best known historic sites Meanwhile, the monastery at Coldingham founded by his sister Æbbe remains much less well known. Now separated by a border, they were once part of the same kingdom, and both were influential in the spread of early medieval Christianity. DigVentures archaeologist Brendon Wilkins explained the background to the dig, which will start later this month: 'Despite Coldingham’s significance, compared to Lindisfarne, much less is known about it. This project aims to change that and reveal Æbbe’s side of the story in Scotland.  'Although previous attempts to locate the remains of the original monastery based on historical sources have come up largely empty handed, we’re working with a new set of geophysics results that have revealed a number of possible Anglo-Saxon structures at a slightly different location. Now, we just need to excavate and see if it’s really there.' Historical sources indicate that Æbbe’s monastery burnt down soon after she died, was abandoned for a short while, rebuilt and continued to thrive until AD 870 when it was destroyed once and for all by a devastating Viking attack – just like Oswald’s Lindisfarne. The team ran a small trial excavation in November, and collaborated with the community to help decide where to dig during the upcoming excavation.

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

Our look at Scotland today is a "Flying Scotsman" post from the 1930's a piece of archeological art.....

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 20th July 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 #Scotland #Archeology #History #Edinburgh #Coffee #Bella

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Friday 10th August 2018

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. For the life of me, I couldn’t find anything that had been discovered in Scotland this week, so I thought I would just give you the normal news, but as most of you know by now, there is nothing normal about me, So, I thought I would give you things that happened this week, back through the centuries, some almost recent, well put it this way, I was alive when it happened, and some.. Well, my great Grandfather wasn’t even a twinkle in his Grandfathers eye…. So I hope you enjoy

THE MAID OF THE LOCH PADDLE STEAMER WAS LAUNCHED…. On 5 March 1953 the Maid of the Loch paddle steamer was launched, the largest ever vessel to be built for an inland waterway in Britain, and the last in a long line of steamers to sail on Loch Lomond, dating back to 1818. The steamer was built to replace the older ships Princess May and Prince Edward and was so large that after being built at A & J Inglis in Glasgow she was dismantled and re-assembled at the loch. The ship can be visited at Balloch Pier and enthusiasts hope to restore her to her former status as a passenger carrying steamer.

KING JAMES IV MARRIED MARGARET TUDOR…. King James IV of Scotland married Margaret Tudor on 8 August 1503 in a union described as the marriage of the thistle and the rose, which, it was planned, would unite the kingdoms of Scotland and England. Margaret, who was the daughter of King Henry VII of England, was fourteen years old at the time of the marriage, whilst her husband was aged thirty. Before the wedding, James IV gifted Margaret several properties including Stirling Castle, Linlithgow Palace and Doune Castle. The wedding took place at Holyrood Abbey and the union inspired William Dunbar's poem The Thistle and the Rose. James IV and Margaret had six children, including the future King James V, the only one of their children to reach adulthood. Margaret died at Methven Castle on 18 October 1541.

LORD KITCHENER BEGAN HIS WORLD WAR I RECRUITMENT DRIVE …. Lord Kitchener began a huge recruitment across Scotland and the rest of the UK on 7 August 1914, three days after the country entered World War I. Patriotic fervour at the start of the war (which many believed would be over by Christmas 1914) was such that over 30,000 men aged between nineteen and 35 were joining up each day in Britain. Scotland helped lead the field, with the entire Hearts Football Club enlisting. By the end of the war, more than 145,000 Scots had been killed - a fifth of Britain's war dead from a country which made up ten percent of Britain's population. Kitchener was killed halfway through World War I, at the age of 65, on 5 June 1916, when a warship carrying him to Russia was sunk by a German mine after leaving Scapa Flow. His death became the centre of a number of conspiracy theories, with some witnesses claiming to have seen him being rescued from the ship.

SIR HARRY LAUDER WAS BORN…. Scottish entertainer Sir Harry Lauder was born on 4 August 1870 in Portobello. Sir Harry's career in entertainment began when he sang whilst working in the coal mines, to entertain himself and his fellow workers. Before long, his workmates encouraged him to sing at local clubs and he began to earn money, leaving the coal mines to take a panto role at Glasgow's Theatre Royal. Sir Harry was a big charity fundraiser and also did much to contribute to recruitment drives during World War One, at one point paying a band of bagpipers to march in order to persuade young men to sign up to the armed forces. He raised over £1 million to help injured servicemen and was knighted for this work in 1919. Among Sir Harry Lauder's best known songs are Roamin in the Gloamin' and Keep Right on to the End of the Road, written after his only son was killed in World War One. Harry himself died in 1950 at the age of 79.

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

Our look at Scotland today is of the Scott Monument photographed by Kris Bird ... What a great picture...

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 10th August 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 #Scotland #News #Spain