The Daily Thistle
The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland
Sunday 16th July 2017
"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. From a sweltering hot Estepona on the Costa del Sol early on a Sunday morning., hot winds from Africa drove the heat up yesterday and it hardly seems to have changed all night… My Friend Bella and I walked this morning with cartoon tongues hanging from our mouths and after water Bella has collapsed on the floor at my feet laying in the path of the breeze from a large fan I have blowing … and I have coffee, go figure!.. but having been a coffee in the morning drinker for most of my life, it’s a habit that I enjoy whatever the weather, and you know that.. and since the medical world told that coffee in moderation is good for you, so I don’t intend to give it up just yet..
NORMANDY LANDINGS VETERAN AWARDED FRANCE'S HIGHEST HONOUR…. A veteran of the Normandy landings has been awarded France's highest honour for his role in helping to liberate the country from German occupation. Irvine Rae, 93, was due to be presented with the National Order of the Legion of Honour at Edinburgh Castle in January with nine other men who took part in the D-Day landings in France. However, the Fife veteran was unable to attend due to a broken hip. So, the French Consulate rearranged a special presentation ceremony for him. He received the honour at Leuchars military base in Fife on Thursday. Emmanuel Cocher, the French consul general in Scotland, presented Mr Rae with the award. Mr Rae, who lives in Tayport, said: "Despite what I did in France in the Royal Engineers, I still can't quite understand why I'm getting this - to me it was just normal work in the course of military service for my country. "Of course, I'm very pleased about it - it's a wonderful gift and a great honour." Mr Rae was called up in 1942 at the age of 18, when he was an apprentice lithographer with John Avery Printers in Aberdeen, and was assigned to the Royal Engineers.
He joined 514 Field Survey Company, 15 Map Reproduction Section. In the lead-up to Operation Overlord, he was involved in survey planning, production of every map likely to be required in northern France, organisation and preparation of equipment and the planning and training for their landing. On June 7 1944, D Day +1, aged 20, Sgt Rae sailed from Portsmouth with three men as his section's advance party on board HMS Glenroy, carrying all their maps and equipment.
OBAMA TARTAN OFFICIALLY REGISTERED IN EDINBURGH…. The Obama tartan specially commissioned for the former US president's recent visit to Edinburgh has been officially registered in the capital. Barack Obama was gifted a kilt and a pair of trousers in his new family tartan when he attended a charity fund-raising dinner at the EICC in May. It has navy blue to represent the flag of Hawaii where the 44th, and first African-American, president was born. Green from the Kenyan flag, where his father was born, has also been used. Sky blue and white are taken from the flag of Chicago where Mr Obama lives and works. Tartan designer Brian Halley of Glasgow-based Slanj Kilts, who was asked to design the special tartan, said he had been "sworn to secrecy" over the project.
He told BBC Scotland: "When I received the email asking me if I could make a tartan quickly, and who it was for, I felt very excited and honoured. "I don't think there is a more famous man and I think he has the second most Twitter followers in the world, so it was very exciting. "I was sworn to secrecy at the time, it was all very hush-hush. "Apparently, he loves the tartan and said he would wear the trousers rather than the kilt as he thinks his legs are too thin. "I don't think his legs are too thin, anyone can wear a kilt."
Now that Mr Obama has officially registered the tartan under his name, he has the rights to it. The charity fund-raising dinner raised ￡670,000 for charities taking part in the Kiltwalk campaign including the Maggie's Centres and Glasgow's Beatson Clinic.
FORMER SNP COUNCILLOR TO STAND TRIAL ON 'ABUSIVE TEXTS' CHARGE…. A former Dundee SNP councillor will stand trial accused of sending "threatening and abusive" text messages to a Muslim activist. Craig Melville is alleged to have sent the messages to Nadia El-Nakla, who works as a parliamentary assistant, the day after the Paris terror attacks. Mr Melville was suspended by the SNP and resigned as a councillor when the allegations came to light. He denies the charge and will stand trial in October. Mr Melville, 36, entered a not guilty plea at Dundee Sheriff Court through his solicitors. Court documents state that Mr Melville faces a charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards Ms El-Nakla between 13 November and 15 November 2015.
Prosecutors allege he behaved in a way "likely to cause a reasonable person fear and alarm" by sending a series of messages that "contained threatening, abusive and derogatory remarks regarding Muslims". The charge is alleged to have been aggravated by religious prejudice. Sheriff George Way set a trial for 18 October and ordered Mr Melville to attend a pre-trial hearing in September.
EMERGENCY BEACON THAT TRIGGERED HOY SOUND SEARCH FOUND IN SHED…. An emergency beacon which triggered a full-scale search and rescue operation off the coast of Orkney has been found in a shed. The RNLI said the Stromness and Longhope lifeboats were called out to Hoy Sound at about 04:20 after the beacon was triggered. Rescue teams from Kirkwall, Hoy and Stromness were also involved in the search, which took several hours. The device was finally discovered in a shed in Stromness and deactivated. HM Coastguard said there was no malicious intent.
TEACHERS 'PROVIDE FOOD' FOR POOR PUPILS…. Teachers are personally providing food and funding school uniforms for children living in poverty, according to a survey. The survey of Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) members found 51% said they or colleagues had taken steps to help less-affluent pupils. Many teachers said they had given pupils spending money for school trips and fairs. And 60% said they had seen an increase in the number of pupils in poverty. Other findings in the report included:
53% of respondents reported seeing a rise in pupils coming to school with little or no food, snacks or money
72% noted an increase in those without basic stationery, school-bags and PE equipment
77% observed increased signs of poverty-related mental health issues
46% said more pupils were unable to complete homework that required computer access at home
Andrea Bradley, EIS assistant secretary for education and equality, said: "The results clearly underline that low-income poverty significantly blights the day-to-day educational experiences of the 260,000 children and young people now living in poverty in Scotland. "To the EIS, it is an outrage that over a quarter of the country's school-aged young people whose families are struggling on low income are prevented from benefiting, on an equal footing to the rest of their peers, from the many opportunities offered by the education system. "Urgent and decisive action at all levels of government is essential to prevent further damage. Children's education and life chances cannot continue to be sacrificed in the name of austerity." She welcomed additional funding for schools from the Scottish government but said it was "against a backdrop of successive years of under-funding of comprehensive education, which must be addressed".
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 Scottish Exhibition Centre by the Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland.
A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Sunday 16th July 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