The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Friday 2nd June 2017

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. where ever you are, as we spin endlessly through space and time on this little blue planet we call Earth.. Bella my Black Labrador and my constant companion, had a great walk this morning around the quiet street of Estepona our home town, the smell of the night blooming Jasmine was very heady this morning as we had a very light shower before we went out, and that seems to increase the intensity of the smell 100% .. not that I'm complaining, I love the smell it hides all the other pongs that you find in a small town... Our walk over it's back to the house, fresh cold water for Bella and Hot fresh Colombian Coffee for me.. a look at the news and then I'm ready to write, You ready to read.. good then let’s go!

POLICE SCOTLAND CATCH 339 DRIVERS USING PHONES ILLEGALLY…. An average of 12 drivers a day were caught using their mobile phones illegally in Scotland, in the wake of a major crackdown on the practice. A total of 339 motorists were penalised for the offence by Police Scotland in the four weeks after tougher punishments took effect on 1 March. They were among almost 6,000 drivers caught using a phone at the wheel by police forces across Britain. Penalties for the offence doubled to six points and a £200 fine. The changes mean new drivers risk losing their licence for sending a single text. The figures emerged in response to a series of freedom of information (FOI) requests by the Press Association. Campaigners claimed the "worrying" findings suggest many drivers are ignoring repeated warnings about the dangers of using phones at the wheel despite a string of publicity campaigns and the risk of harsher sanctions. It found that police recorded 5,977 instances of the practice between 1 and 28 March in England, Scotland and Wales. The actual figure is likely to be higher as seven forces did not provide figures and some cases may not have been logged at the time FOI responses were issued. The Metropolitan Police registered the highest number at 2,037, while Police Scotland recorded the third highest total. The RAC Foundation described the increased penalties as "a start", but warned the figures for March suggest "the key message still isn't sinking in". Steve Gooding, director of the motoring research charity, said: "Driving is a safety-critical activity that requires our full attention. Hands need to be on the wheel and eyes looking out of the windscreen, not down at the phone screen." Brake spokesman Jack Kushner described the number of drivers "selfishly using their mobile phones behind the wheel" as concerning. "Driver distraction is a growing menace and it's worrying that drivers don't seem to be getting the message," he said. The charity wants the £200 fine to be "significantly increased" to deter offenders. Police say they want to make using a mobile while driving as "socially unacceptable" as drink-driving. Anthony Bangham, of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "Drivers need to understand that this is not a minor offence and you will be prosecuted under new, tougher penalties." He said forces were committed to tackling the behaviour, adding: "Encouraging results from recent campaigns show how effective new tactics and innovative approaches can be."

NEARLY A HALF OF BRITS ‘COD NO CLUE’…. New research from Seven Seas has revealed that Brits are totally clueless when it comes to Cod Liver Oil and Omega-3 - despite over a third claiming they take fish oil capsules on a regular basis. While some people can site the health benefits of Omega-3 relating to joints, cardiovascular and memory, a shocking one in 10 adults believe fish fingers, calamari rings and fish cakes will provide them with enough of the health-boosting nutrient. Seven Seas consultant dietician, Helen Bond says: “Our research shows that while a lot of people understand the many health benefits of Omega-3, they are clearly confused about what it is and where it comes from. Regular portions of oily fish can help people boost their Omega-3 intake. In addition, Cod Liver Oil naturally contains Omega-3 - and also contains other health boosting vitamins including vitamins D.” Even though 80% of adults are aware that oily fish contains high levels of Omega-3, 1 in 2 made the ultimate fishy faux pas by admitting they didn’t have any idea at all about where cod liver oil actually comes from. And those that did were shockingly torn between believing it was a ‘mix of plants’ and a mixture of ‘man-made chemicals’. Helen Bond continued: “It’s so important that we eat oily fish in order to increase our intake of omega-3 nutrients. Omega-3’s cannot be produced by the body, but are essential to good health, which means they must be obtained from the diet or through supplementation. “Oily fish such as trout, salmon, mackerel, sardines and fresh tuna are rich in essential long chain omega 3-fats - eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which have been clinically proven to help maintain normal brain function and healthy vision, healthy triglyceride levels, normal blood pressure and healthy heart function. “While a healthy balanced diet should always come first, a high quality fish oil supplement can support your daily Omega-3 intake.”

THREE CALLOUTS OVER WEEKEND FOR KINGHORN LIFEBOAT…. Kinghorn Lifeboat had a busy bank holiday weekend with three callouts in two days. The lifeboat crew was paged just after 8.30am on Saturday morning to assist a disabled boat north east of Inchkeith, followed by a request to assess the safety of shellfish collectors on Pettycur Sands. Then at 12.20am on Sunday morning the team was called out to help in a search off the coast at Leven. Following reports of a person shouting at Leven beach just after midnight on Sunday, the Coastguard launched a search following concern that someone may have been in the water. Kinghorn Lifeboat launched around 12.35am, and arrived at Leven beach 20 minutes later. An extensive search of the area was undertaken, along with Coastguard rescue teams from Leven and Kinghorn. Mel McGarva, a member of the crew, said: “Following concern that someone may have been in the water at Leven, we were tasked to undertake a search off Leven golf course. “Search conditions were good, coupled with the use of four flares to illuminate the area. Following an hour of searching we were stood down, returning to station just after 2.30am.” Crewmembers on the search were Mark Brown, Paul Stather, Mel McGarva, Suzanne Baillie and Steve Robinson.

BMW DRIVER ‘CLOCKED AT MORE THAN 122MPH,’ SAY POLICE…. A police patrol car accelerated to 122mph but was unable to keep up with a speeding driver in Fife, a court has heard. Two officers claimed a BMW kept pulling away from despite them hitting the top speed their vehicle could manage. On trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court is Shahzad Aslam, 44, of Dean Park Court, Kirkcaldy. He denies that on September 25, 2015, on the M90 northbound between junctions two and three and the A92 eastbound, he drove a car dangerously and drove at speeds of up to 100mph in a 70mph speed restricted zone. It is alleged he pulled over sharply from the offside lane into the nearside lane, into the path of a vehicle and then braked sharply to exit the M90, entered the overpass slip road for the A92 at excessive speed for the road conditions, which had advisory 50mph speed limit signs and braked sharply to avoid collision with vehicles entering the vehicles entering from the Halbeath slip road. PC Stuart Gibson (36) told the court he was driving the police patrol at around 12.25am in wet conditions near Rosyth when he saw the car being driven by the accused. He said he believed the car was being driven at excess speed through an area of roadworks with a 40mph limit. PC Gibson said the car then accelerated sharply and he tried to carry out a tracking operation. This is where a police car maintains a consistent distance behind another vehicle to see what speed it is travelling at. However, this was not possible as the BMW driven by Aslam was pulling further away. “We were travelling at 122mph and that was as fast as our car could go,” said the officer. He added that it was only when Aslam’s car had to brake because of other vehicles on the road that the police were able to catch up and he pulled over to a lay-by. PC Andrew Siggers (49) was the passenger in the police patrol car. He said Aslam’s car had to brake to avoid cars coming to the A92 from a slip road. Both officers said they were not able to give the speed Aslam’s car was travelling at but that it was faster than their vehicle. The trial was adjourned until July 20.

ANNUAL POLL SHOWS SIX IN TEN PARENTS RAID THEIR CHILDREN’S PIGGY BANKS TO COVER COSTS…. Parents are plundering children’s ‘piggy banks’ to the tune of nearly £50 a year, according to an annual poll that shows a significant rise in the amount borrowed by mum and dad. The Nationwide Financial Planning survey into ‘piggy bank raiding’ quizzed 2,000 parents of children between four and 16. It shows three in five (60 per cent) admit taking money from their offspring – a 14 per cent increase on last year’s study. According to the Society’s poll, the average amount taken by parents over a 12 month period is £46.20 – a sharp rise of 115 per cent on the £21.41 indicated last year – while one in five (20 per cent) admit to pilfering £60 or more annually. Just over a fifth (21 per cent) admit to raiding the piggy bank twice or more times a month. And when it comes to the parental divide, dads (£51.12 per annum) take more than mums (£44.52). The money is used for: Paying the school lunch money (32 per cent), needing loose change for parking (29 per cent) and covering school trips (24 per cent) are the primary reasons parents need to dip into the ‘Bank of Child’. Other reasons include donating to school charity days (21 per cent) and paying for clubs and societies (20 per cent). In terms of mum and dad, it’s women who need the cash for school charity days (23 per cent v 16 per cent for men), school lunch money (33 per cent v 30 per cent for men) and school trips (24 per cent v 20 per cent for men). Men, on the other hand, will take money to pay a bill (16 per cent v 12 per cent for women), buy Christmas presents (14 per cent v 10 per cent for women) and to cover any doorstep charity requests (10 per cent v 7 per cent for women). However, both mum and dad are prone to raiding their children’s piggy banks to get a takeaway (12 per cent of men and 10 per cent of women). While the reason for borrowing money may be genuine, three quarters (76 per cent) of parents feel some sort of guilt, with a third (33 per cent) admitting they feel bad each time they do it. Children aren’t oblivious to this parental piggy bank raiding, however, as around two in five (39 per cent) parents admit their children had noticed the money had gone missing – the same percentage as in 2016’s survey. More than a third (34 per cent) parents say they don’t always pay the money back and it’s dads who are the biggest culprits, with 43 per cent admitting to this versus just 30 per cent of mums.

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

Our look at Scotland today is of Scurdie Ness Lighthouse in Angus 

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Friday 2nd June 2017 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

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