The Christmas season in Glasgow lasts from mid-November to late December, it is known as Glasgow Loves Christmas. The festive season is full with exciting events in the heart of the city, such as the Christmas Lights Switch On, the Style Mile Christmas Carnival, the traditional Blessing of the Crib, Baby’s First Christmas, the Santa Dash, and more. Of course, there are traditional Christmas markets, too. Glasgow’s main Christmas market is held in St. Enoch Square.

Many tourists think that the best Christmas markets in Europe are held in Austria and Germany. These markets are indeed beautiful, but they are not the only ones worthy of your attention. The United Kingdom hosts great Christmas markets, too. If you want to experience Christmas in Scotland, you absolutely should attend the Glasgow Christmas market in St. Enoch Square with its festive atmosphere, unique holiday spirit, an impressive choice of hand crafted gifts, delicious treats, and numerous attractions for people of all ages.

St. Enoch Square is situated at the bottom end of Buchanan Street, one of the main shopping streets in Glasgow known for its upmarket range of stores. It’s basically Glasgow’s Oxford Street. The Christmas market on St. Enoch Square is made up of about 50 rustic cabins and colourful stalls with gifts and souvenirs from all over the world.

While many Christmas markets focus on national crafts, the Glasgow Christmas Market features traditional Christmas products from Germany, Spain, France, Finland, Russia, Ecuador, and many other countries. Of course, the market also features items made by Scottish craftsmen. Here you can buy Christmas decorations, tin and lace toys, scarves and harts, bags and jewelry, candles, and more.Of course, a Christmas market can’t do without traditional treats. The Glasgow Christmas Market is a paradise for foodies! Foods stalls offer German sausages, Scottish delicacies, Christmas sweets such as candies and roasted almonds. A glass of spicy mulled wine or scotch will cheer you up and keep you warm. As for entertainment, there are live performances, a large Ferris wheel, a traditional merry-go-round for kids, and a lot of festive surprises.

The market is open all week, but it closes earlier on Sundays. One more Christmas market is held in George Square, surrounded by prominent historical buildings.

Having read the some lines lines of his poetry in 1965 changed my life.
Yours to find out...

Just had a notification to say my thread was removed

It doesn't tell me what thread or why it was removed

......only mothers can give birth.
The Trans lobby strike again.

Is a birth coach just a new trendy name for Midwife?

Dulwich Hamlet 0 Carlisle Utd 1
Chelsea 3 Crystal Palace 1

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote?fbclid=IwAR1mC416dCZMbRQ2lORj8sv9a1xtu57jyAq7sf_7YSKbdEiuuaJP9XaFI6s

Product details: Tasikar Wake up light with radio alarm clock

For full details, including affected model numbers and manufacturer’s advice, click here.

Reason for recall:

Risk of fire or electric shock due to inadequate construction.
What should you do next?

Electrical Safety First recommends that anyone who discovers they have an electrical item that has been recalled should stop using it immediately
Check the product recall notification for details of what to do next
If no details are shown, you should contact either the seller or Citizens Advice on 03444 111 444 or visit them at www.citizensadvice.org.uk
More information on returning recalled products can be found here.

Checking your other electrical products

Our product checker contains the details of electrical products that have been recalled since 2007. If you have searched for a product that you own and it is not listed, this means that it has not been recalled and should be safe to use. However, if you do have concerns about its safety, contact the retailer or manufacturer to alert them to a potential problem.

This email was sent by Electrical Safety First
www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk

Victims First, which supports victims of crime and abuse across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, has launched a video to raise awareness of coercive control and emotional abuse in relationships.

The video, ‘Don’t Disappear’ can be viewed here. https://youtu.be/d6rt8w5HBWw highlights the red flags to look out for in a relationship, which can be the warning signs of controlling behaviour and abuse.

Coercive control became a criminal offence in 2015 and involves an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse by a perpetrator that is used to harm, punish or frighten their victim.

Although many people associate domestic abuse with physical violence, coercive control recognises the damaging impact of other forms of abuse in relationships as well.

‘Don’t Disappear’ follows the story of Jamie and Emma, from the seemingly loving early stages of their relationship, to the development of abusive behaviour.

Although anyone can be a victim of coercive control, ‘Don’t Disappear’ is particularly aimed at younger people who may have less experience of relationships or people who are at the beginning of a relationship, to raise awareness of the red flags which at the time, may be missed or misinterpreted as acceptable behaviour.

The video covers a range of controlling behaviours exhibited from Jamie to Emma including:
Jealousy and possessiveness including accusations of flirting and cheating
Isolating her from her family and friends
Controlling the use of her phone and social media
Constantly checking on her whereabouts
Sudden outbursts of anger and mood changes, and
Love bombing - showering her with excessive affection and attention in order to retain control
Both men and women can be victims or perpetrators of coercive control which can take place in heterosexual and same-sex relationships.

Other examples of coercive control include, depriving someone of basic needs, monitoring their time and activities, taking control over aspects of their everyday life such as where they can go or who they can see, humiliating, degrading or dehumanising someone, controlling their finances and making threats or intimidating behaviour.

You can view Don’t Disappear at https://youtu.be/d6rt8w5HBWw

Victims First is managed by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley and provides support to anyone impacted by any type of crime or abusive.

If you have been affected by coercive control or domestic abuse you can access support through Victims First on ‪0300 1234 148‬ or online at www.victims-first.org.uk.

Message Sent By
Luke Stratford (Police, Comms, HQ South)

We get a magazine locally called Business Your Way. Advertises local businesses. There is an advert in there from a charity wanting people to enter the Londom Marathon and raise money for them.
The entry fee is £100The charity want you to raise £2000 minimum.I guess if you only raise £1950, you keep the money.

Man Utd 3 Partizan Belgrade 0
Wolves 2 Slovan Bratislava 1

Came across this story doing the mountain quiz

Man climbed height of Mount Everest 220 times by walking up favourite hill six days a week for 20 years


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/12180339/Man-climbed-Roseberry-Topping-North-Yorkshire-six-days-week-for-20-years.html

Today 1869 The first intercollegiate football game ever played took place in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Princeton University was defeated by Rutgers College.
Three of the schools—Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton—formed the second Intercollegiate Football Association as a result of the meeting. Yale did not join the group until 1879, because of an early disagreement about the number of players per team.

Actress.
On BBC Breakfast, Dan and Louise were interviewing one of the cast of Gold Digger. They captioned her as Nikki Amuka-Blake, Actress.
Usually the BBC go all PC and caption everyone as Actor.

is an annual film festival that aims to introduce a wide audience to foreign films that focus on Jewish life, history and culture. The festival is held every November is London. It is the flagship project of the organization UK Jewish Film.

In 1997, former member of the British Association of Drama Therapists Judy Ironside founded the Brighton Jewish Film Festival to promote respect and understanding about Jewish cultures worldwide. The inaugural edition of the festival was held in Brighton from November 8–16, 1997. In 2003, the event expanded to become a national film festival. It was renamed to the UK Jewish Film Festival and moved to London.
For more info and dates:

https://anydayguide.com/festival/642-uk-jewish-film-festival

Vitoria Guimares 1 Arsenal 1
Red Star Belgrade 0 Spuds 2
Atalanta 1 Man City 3

Hi neighbours, I just learned that you can find out what your MP is doing by going to https://www.theyworkforyou.com/ and entering your post code. I believe that we should know more about people we elect to represent us.

is an annual observance held on the first Wednesday of November. Initiated by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA), its main goal is to provide information of stress and strategies on how to address it.

Stress is the body’s response to a stressor such as an environmental condition, biological agent, daily events, life changes, social factors, etc. It is the body’s method of reacting to threats, challenges, or physical and psychological barriers. There are two many types of stress: eustress (positive, beneficial stress that mobilizes and motivates people) and distress (an aversive state that causes significant physical and psychological discomfort).

In a narrow sense, the term “stress” is usually applied to distress. Over the long term, stress can lead to health issues; to avoid this, stress must be managed. The International Stress Management Association was founded in the UK to teach people the basics of proper stress management, helping them increase their performance and improve the quality of life.

Stress Awareness Days is an excellent occasion to take a break and think about the factors that cause stress in your daily life and how to minimize their impact on your physical and mental health. Of course, your life cannot be completely stress-free because stress is a natural physiological reaction, but it is quite possible to cope with stress and prevent it from ruining your life.

Chelsea 2 Ajax 0
Liverpool 3 Genk 1

https://twitter.com/mrmichaelspicer/status/1191325163901476864

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/

I am now not getting notification of new threads - just found 3 new ones that I had not known about.
Is it just me ?

Was on BBC news at 10. Because of lack of places in official childrens homes, councils are sending children to unregulated locations.
Bromley council was one mentioned when talking about an under 16 being placed in a canal boat near Birmingham. Also another teenager was placed in a caravan on a holiday park near Blackpool.

Who spotted the two male dancers dancing together?
For most of the dancing they were not "in hold" so it was no more controversial than some of the modern dance you would see at the National Theatre or Barbican. Telling a story using the medium of dance.

It was on the CNN ticker today. it's at the Santa Anita track where they hold the Breeders Cup. I don't think they care much about animal welfare in the US

Recommendations for car roadside assistance would be appreciated.

Thank you

In the last week in a small area just around where I live we have had .....

A day time rape, a double stabbing with a sword, an 'incident' with 4 police cars [so far unexplained] and last night another stabbing. Only the week before we had a serious dog on dog attack.

...and the law.

Bournemouth 1 Man Utd 1

What happens next if we end up with a hung parliament with opposing views?

As an ex army serviceman of 29yrs I make no apology for posting these two revelant pieces taken from FB.

This day is not a glorification of conflict but to remember those that gave their all, and to the families they left behind.

R.I.P. dad

"So this is my journey. It lasted 1 month. I would travel from Vietnam to Russia on a plane, and from there travel to Latvia by crossing the boarder through the forest. Upon arriving in Latvia, there’d be shattered tents in the forest where 14 of us would be living until someone comes to get us on the next part of the journey. Some people are lucky enough to get picked up after a few days, sometimes it would be up to few weeks. It was cold, we hadn’t much clothing (we were on foot most of the journey so were only allowed to take one back pack with us). We were given ramen noodles and plastic bowls after which we threw away thinking we’d get a bowl the next day only to be given a pack of noodles. We would then find plastic bottles and cut them to make a bowl out of them. It was just a matter of time before the food ran out.

We were food deprived, cold, tired and just waiting for the next move. A miracle came and at last we were able to be on the move. We went through a route where we had to swim through a pile of mud. After swimming through the pile of mud for two hours, the leader of the ring then realised that that the mud was getting rock solid. He signalled that we shall return. Those who could manage, shall follow and those who were too tired are left to die – he couldn’t give less of a toss.

Upon returning we were too tired, too hungry to do anything so we lay there for two days. The day after we were to follow a new route. After a day of walking, we arrived at a cow shed. We slept with cows and their dung. After two days there, we were picked up by 2 more people to cross the boarder to another country. This time it was a life or death type of route. We would be going at night through the forest and have to keep close together. The ring leader said that if you got lost, do not scream as there is someone at the back who is there to pick the ones who cannot manage to walk anymore. But he only said so, those who get lost or can’t manage are just left there to die. We would hide our heads and put our hands infront of our head to avoid getting hit by any tree barks. It was so dark you literally cannot see anything. Just black everywhere.3 hours of doing so. It was so cold, felt like I could not pick my legs up. When we got close to the boarder, we would get food: bread and water. And then we were waiting for transport coaches to take us to the next “gathering stage”. At that stage, the food and conditions were much better. At that gathering stage, we were divided into groups to get into a car to go to Poland. 4 people in the front seat and 3 small people at the back. Squished together for god knows how many hours. They would not stop to allow us to go to the toilet. After we arrive in Poland, we would be divided to go to our next destination. People who travel to Germany, travel to Germany, people who travel to UK, must go through France first.

We then are all to meet in a large group to be ordered to get into our “lorry container”. That is all organised by the European people. Vietnamese just organise the service, pick us up and collect money at each location but the logistics are organised by the Europeans. They go check the plate number of the lorries to indicate which lorry is going to which country. They then break open the locks of the lorries and we hop in. They don’t care if it’s cold or not. They don’t care if it’s refrigerated, if there is no space or if we die.

Of course, sometimes this method doesn’t work and certain people who were meant to go to Germany end up somewhere else. It is then their own responsibility to hop on a train without a ticket to come back to this destination.

We usually have to pay 500k VND for the whole trip and how it is divded is we process the application and arrive in Russia. We then pay 50% when we get to Poland, the next destination is France where 90% is paid and then the UK is the remaining 10%.

When we get to the France we have to stay in a camp known as the Calais Camp with many people. But the mafias are nice to us there. I think because they get the biggest cut from Vietnamese travelling the the UK.

We live in the camp with people from Syria, Albania and probably from many more countries. But we don’t have a voice there. We only have money. People get shot here all the time. It’s like a war between mafias. Like a war for territories I think. Whoever comes invades the territories gets shot and thrown into the river.

Funny thing late at night they would drink beer and get high on weed and play around with their large guns. They would play around and pointed the gun straight into my head.. I would fake laugh but I died a little inside XD.

So we stay in the camp whilst the mafias are in search of potential lorries/vans or ships that are going to our destination. Once they find some, we are called in groups and they break the locks and we hop in.

After breaking the locks, one ring leader hops on the lorry, and the second one bends on his knees for us to hop on to him and climb into the lorry. We are to do this quietly just in case there is a driver at the front of the driver’s seat. Sympathy for my fellow Vietnamese who made too much noise when he jumped on the lorry only to be pulled down by the leg on the the floor and beat up very brutally “you like hee hee ha ha now?” feel so sorry for him XD.

So we enter the lorry and are told to be quiet to not get caught. So we lay there waiting and waiting. But the lorry doesn’t move. Then the engine goes on and then it goes off. And a few times like this. This lasts a few hours. We hear few people talk after which the door of the lorry opens and the mafia is there clenching his teeth and smiling widely with two French police cars at the back of him.

Surprisingly, they let us go back to the camp. Apparently this was no surprise to them as they have seem this view dozens if not hundreds of times. So we were led back to the camp.

The next day I heard about the “VIP” journey. So I understand, the VIP journet is when the driver actually knows that he is transporting the immigrants and he gets a cut from our money. The VIP is also another 300k VND. But I was so tired and couldn’t take the chances anymore so I called my parents about it and they assured me they would manage to prepare the money for the VIP journey.

So the next day, I heard there was an opportunity to jump on the VIP route so I went straight for it.

We were in a smaller group this time – 4 people. I saw the mafia talk to the driver saying something, didn’t understand much and then saw him handing him some money.

We get into a truck and there are cabins. We lay in the cabin silently. We go though the boarders ,the security without any obstacles. We finally get to the UK! SO EXCITING. Once we arrive at a destination, there’s another person (assuming also from the mafia) who picks us up and gets us into housing. We are not to leave the housing until we pay off the money from our VIP journey.

So my relatives from the UK get this delivered after my parents prepared this in Vietnam and they let me go. I then arrive at my relatives, get training in a nail bar and work there too.

I am a paperless immigrant in the UK and the story is as simple as that.

There are other ways people can cross boarders. Some are fortunate enough to get a VISA. The ones who afford it and have a proper education come as a student and stay illegally. There are many stories. This is mine.

I hope this story does not go anywhere as I would not like anything to happen to me.

But.. I am not a “container person”"

When you think of depression the last thing you probably imagine is lovely fluffy cakes, biscuits or desserts. Yet some people are turning to the oven to help lift their moods. “Depression is a very common condition and over one’s lifetime, one in six females, and one in eight males experience depression,”
What do you think?

Have you tried out the reply button yet?

Hello to all. I’m a new member of Scooploop and an even newer member in this group. I’m Dominic. I recently took early retirement from the Civil Service. I hope to be able to make a positive contribution to this group.

Interesting sky yesterday. I love looking at the clouds and sky - simple pleasures.

Dare we talk about this or is it just going to start arguments ?

I don't understand the request by Labour for it to be on the 9th as this is a Monday and elections have always been on Thursdays

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-wales-50208845

A male tortoiseshell cat
What do members think? Do you know of anything else rare or unusual?

As there is no general photography group I thought I would post these photos from my garden on here. They were taken today.
Has anyone else got any interesting photos, garden or otherwise?

Criminals are targeting members of the public with automated calls stating that the recipient has been charged for an Amazon Prime subscription.

•Victims are receiving automated calls stating they’ve been charged for an Amazon Prime subscription

•They are connected to a scammer posing as an Amazon worker when they try to cancel the subscription

Since the start of September, Action Fraud has received 200 reports from people who have lost money to the scam

Action Fraud, the national fraud and cyber-crime reporting centre, is warning people of a new scam that has seen victims lose over £400,000.

Unsuspecting members of the public are being mercilessly targeted with automated calls which tell them a fraudster has used their personal details to sign up for an Amazon Prime subscription. The victim is then instructed to press 1 to cancel the transaction. When they do this, they are directly connected to the real scammer who poses as an Amazon customer service representative.

The criminal tells the victim the Amazon Prime subscription was purchased fraudulently and that they need remote access to the victim’s computer in order to fix a security flaw that will prevent it from happening again. The victim is instructed to download an application called Team Viewer and asked to log onto their online banking account. The software download grants the fraudster remote access to the victim’s computer and allows them to see the victim’s personal and financial details.

Other variants of the crime involve victims being told they are due a refund for an unauthorised transaction on their Amazon account.

So far, Action Fraud has received 200 reports from people who have lost money to the scam. They have received a further 300 reports from people who received one of the scam calls but did not follow the fraudsters instructions.

What can you do to protect yourself?

Action Fraud is reminding people to never install any software as a result of a cold call.

Pauline Smith, Head of Action Fraud, said:

“Unsolicited requests to remote access your computer should always raise a red flag. It’s easy to feel embarrassed when faced with unexpected or complex conversations but it’s okay to stop the discussion if you do not feel in control of it.

“If you’ve received an unexpected phone call, or other communication, stop and take a minute to think about whether an organisation would get in touch with you out of the blue in this way. Instead, contact them directly using a known email or phone number.”

Remember, if you have been a victim of fraud or cyber-crime, report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Message Sent By
Ian Stacey (Police, Neighbourhood Policing Administrator, Chiltern & South Bucks)

I have been caught out again by Wowcher showing me an item for sale at one price and also showing me the much higher price they claim it was being sold for. Making it look like a bargain.
it is elder sisters birthday this week. She wanted a pair of shoes or money to buy a pair. I looked on Wowcher and found a pair of ankle boots from Redfoot Shoes. They look good and were £32.99 down from alleged original price of £92.99. Thought that's a bargain and waited for sis to come round and choose a colour.
A little while after ordering I googled Redfoot Shoes. they have a website. They sell direct. The shoes I paid £32.99 for are on there for £27.99 full price. So not such a bargain after all.

Five hitmen are hired but no murder gets commited. A real case of "Im too busy, can you do it".
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/hitmen-jailed-guangxi-china-assassin-murder-a9169596.html

This country, (successive governments), has issued licences to various arms dealers in this country to sell weapons containing white phosphorus to the Turkish Government in Ankara over the last 15 years or so. White phosphorus, used in incendiary devices designed to inflict horrendous burns on it’s victims. I make no apologies for posting the following photograph of a Syrian Kurd, badly burned by said device, having been let loose by a Turkish fighter jet.

Due to agro and nasty remarks of "Day events" I have decided to post in Pastime.
One post I did not even get around reading and found most of the replies were deleted and discussion closed.

Please join us in Pastime for hobbies, any chit chat or a bit of fun.

Not too late to join in. More info

https://www.meetup.com/vegan-holistic-events/events/263771405/

It's that TIME again (excuse the pun)
Don't forget to put your clocks back tonight 2am
And perhaps tell us about times you forgot!

Man City 5 Aston Villa 0

Best car my dad has was a Renault 16 TS.
My mum's best car was her Fiat 500.

For more info:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?sxsrf=ACYBGNS-xBdt0WQ4n12Bc6XdeWksfOUzuw:1571995202972&source=hp&ei=Qr6yXaPSOILga_nbuPgF&q=mcm+in+london&oq=MCM+in+london+&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i22i30l10.2841.14588..18741...0.0..0.95.1104.14......0....1..gws-wiz.......35i39j0i131j0j0i22i10i30.eBzGXCiv4rA&ibp=htl;events&rciv=evn&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwishaTHirflAhXVmFwKHYXGAUsQ5bwDMAB6BAgNEAE#fpstate=tldetail&htidocid=PiMWPsnAvAOmUDadk_qgRA%3D%3D&htivrt=events&sxsrf=ACYBGNQITanWzY1lBF3RUFnVK6Ex-DvI3w:1571995223922

Arsenal 3 Vitoria Guimares 1

I've not watched this yet so can't really comment, but it is getting mixed reviews from what I read in the Mail. Some say it was a really good social experiment, others say it exploits the Himba and is white saviour bullshit.
My initial thoughts are; It would've been better with an ordinary British family rather than the fame obsessed Moffats. The Himba are not as primitive and naive as they look. They just prefer to live their traditional way of life. But their mud hut villages are not that far from modern towns. There is evidence on the web of them shopping and they probably have a 4x4 hidden behind a tree. They are probably taking the proverbial out of the Moffats.Here is a non daily mail weblink. https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/tv-radio/2019/10/channel-4s-british-tribe-next-door-lazy-exploitative-and-offensive-tv