Podcasts about Scottish

Welcome to the Scottish Watches Podcast episode BEN 2! In this episode, we reconnect with the endlessly creative Ben Rousseau, a multidisciplinary artist and designer whose work bridges the worlds... The post Scottish Watches Podcast #693 : Where Time Meets Art With Ben Rousseau appeared first on Scottish Watches.

Hey, Kids! Paul and Josh are back with a new epp talking about the Scottish speaking Still Wakes the Deep and life on a rig. Find us where all pods are cast and on dadsgamereview.com.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 32-35; James 2 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible, dear friends! On this July 18th episode, join your host Hunter as we celebrate day 200 of our journey through Scripture together. Today, we explore a rich selection of Bible passages, beginning with Isaiah chapters 32 through 35 and concluding with James chapter 2. Hunter guides us through themes of justice, transformation, and the outpouring of God's Spirit promised in Isaiah, leading us into James's powerful message that faith is made alive through good deeds. Along the way, you'll be invited to reflect on the true meaning of obedience, participation with God, and a faith that moves from our heads to our hands and feet. We close our time together in prayer, seeking to be bearers of peace and love in our world. Whether you're a seasoned listener or joining for the first time, settle in as we turn our hearts to the words of life and the love God has for each one of us. TODAY'S DEVOTION: When we think about good deeds, as James talked about in today's passage, it's easy to imagine that God is simply after a long list of accomplishments or acts of kindness—things we do to prove ourselves. But that's not it. He's not looking for a checklist. He's inviting us into something much deeper, into a real relationship—a relationship rooted in trust, participation, and obedience. George MacDonald, the Scottish theologian, once said, “When we cease listening to the cries of self seeking and self care, then the voice that was there all the time enters our ears. It's the voice of the Father speaking to his child. Never known for what it is until the child begins to obey it.” Real good deeds, the kind James writes about, are not simply about outward performance. They're about hearing the Father's voice and responding in obedience—a loving participation in the life God has given us. It's not just about thinking the right things, or believing the right doctrines in our heads; it's about moving from our heads to our hands and our feet—letting faith become real through action in the everyday, in love that serves others. Jesus calls us not only to agree with him, but to walk with him, step by step, letting our faith be seen and known through how we live and love. It's in the doing, in the participating, that we find transformation. This is how Christ is made visible in this world—when we act on what we say we believe. Let us do the next thing the Father sets before us, with hearts of trust in his loving care. Let's allow our faith to come alive by engaging, serving, loving—letting Christ's life flow through us. That's my prayer today—for my own soul, for my family, for my wife, my daughters and my son. And that's my prayer for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Daily Radio Bible Prayer – July 18th, 2025 Lord of heaven and earth, you have awakened us in your mercy once more. Still our anxious minds, quiet our striving hearts and help us to rest in the knowledge that we are held by you. May we walk in step with your spirit today—not ahead, not behind, but beside you—in trusted love through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. O God of all peoples, you formed every soul in your image and breathed life into every heart. Open the eyes of the nations, soften hearts grown cold, and teach us to live as neighbors and friends. Let your spirit move in power. Renew the face of the earth and usher in your reign of peace. Amen. And now, Lord, let me be a bearer of your peace. Where voices divide, let me speak grace; where fear takes root, let me plant trust; where the world rushes on, let me walk with you. May I seek not to climb but to kneel, not to win but to love, not to grasp but to give. For it is in emptying that we are filled, in surrender that we are strengthened, and in union with you that we find our truest joy. Amen. And now, as our Lord has taught us, we are bold to pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Title: Rare Earths to Truffles: Diversified Investments You've Never Heard Of with Louis O'Connor Summary: In this episode of Raise the Bar Radio, Seth Bradley welcomes back Lou, an international investor, to discuss diversification, rare earth metals, and a unique agricultural investment opportunity. Lou, who splits his time between Europe and Latin America, emphasizes the importance of global diversification for peace of mind and flexibility. He highlights the geopolitical dynamics affecting rare earth metals, where China dominates the refining process, and discusses the increasing demand due to restricted exports. Transitioning from metals to agriculture, Lou introduces his truffle farm investment. Leveraging agri-science and Ireland's favorable climate, the project offers investors ownership of inoculated truffle trees with professional farm management. Returns are projected to begin in year 4-5 and continue for up to 40 years, offering IRRs between 14% to 69% based on historical truffle prices. Risks include mismanagement and natural elements, though strong biosecurity and proven success mitigate concerns. Lou finishes with a valuable mindset tip: improve by 1% daily to compound results over time. Bullet Point Highlights: Diversification across countries and industries provides flexibility and peace of mind China's control of rare earth refining and export restrictions create scarcity and opportunity Truffle farm investment offers strong IRR potential, with returns starting in years 4-5 and lasting 30-40 years Minimum $30K investment includes 400 saplings and full farm management with a 70/30 profit split Primary risks are mismanagement and nature, mitigated through biosecurity and replacement guarantees Lou's golden nugget: Focus on improving 1% daily to unlock exponential long-term growth Transcript: (Seth Bradley) (00:02.062) What's up, builders? This is Raise the Bar Radio, where we talk about building wealth, raising capital, and all in all, raising the bar in your business and your life. This is the No BS podcast for capital raisers, investors, and entrepreneurs who are serious about scaling their business and living life on their own terms. I'm Seth Bradley, securities attorney, real estate investor, and entrepreneur, bringing you world-class strategies from the best in the game.   If you're ready to raise more capital, close bigger deals, build a better you and create true financial freedom, you're in the right place. Let's go. Lou, what's going on, brother? Welcome back to the show.   Thank you very much Seth. Thank you. I'm very happy to be here. Good to see you again.   Yeah, absolutely man. Great to catch up with you. Are you tuning in from where?   Well, in Europe still, you know, I'm back and forth between Ireland, Germany, mostly, a little bit of time in Panama as well, because my wife's from there, but I'm in temporary in Ireland, horse breeding country and agricultural heartland actually of Europe. And at the moment anyway, yeah, so in Europe.   (Seth Bradley) (01:16.664) awesome, awesome. That's the beauty of being on a video conference call that you can talk to anyone from anywhere in the world now. That's the one good thing that came out of COVID is it made it normal to do it.   Yeah, it's funny, unbelievable. Just yesterday I was contacted actually by CNBC in the US, I'm in Europe, about the metals. We're not talking about metals today, but I've spoken with you before about the rare earth metals. And I guess the US chamber, secretary chamber of commerce is in China this week because China is restricting the export of certain technology metals and that's their area.   And within a day, there's like an hour after I speak with you, I'm doing an interview with CNBC on, I think it's Power Launch or something they call it. So it's fascinating really how quickly you can sort of ping around the globe and find somebody and do this.   Yeah, yeah, very cool, very cool, man. Well, thanks for taking the time to tune in with us today. And we've got a brand new thing to talk about and we'll jump into that. But before we do, just for listeners who didn't listen to your previous episode, give us a little bit about your background and your story. Just a general synopsis,   Sure, thank you. Yeah, so I'm obviously, you can tell from the accent, I'm Irish or Scottish or Australian, but it's Irish. And I suppose you could say I'm bit of a world traveler who has come back home specifically for this project we're going to talk about. Ireland is known as sort of the breadbasket of Europe. But yeah, I lived in Germany for 10 years, lived in Central America and traveled extensively in South America during that time.   (Louis O'Connor) (03:05.422) But my niche, if you will, you know one other business we're involved in. And my niche, what I'm looking for is always what I call, I don't know what you might call it in the US, but we sort of call it a path of progress play here, which is if you sort of look at an industry or a product, what's happened in the last 10 years, or even a country or even a business for that matter, if you look at what's happened in the last 10, you can sort of   have a look at likely what's going to happen in the next 10. So I'm always looking for somewhere where demand is increasing and supply is either going to be limited or subject to disruption and somehow, and that's what we will be talking to an agricultural product and we'll talk more about it. But I like to be diversified in every way. So I have business in Germany, this agricultural product is in Ireland.   I do my banking in Belize and Panama and different parts of Europe. So just trying to be as diversified as possible.   Right, right. And that's part of your kind of plan as well, right? Like to be kind of this international man of mystery, right? Like you have different ties to a couple of different countries, which gives you flexibility in case something goes wrong in one of them, right? Like, you know, I think a lot of people were worried here for a while and I think it's still in the back of people's minds in the United States about, you know, the strength of the dollar and   You know, people were talking about getting a second citizenship and things like that. Can you speak to that a little bit about kind of, you know, how you've done that and what your kind of thoughts and feelings are around that?   (Louis O'Connor) (04:46.552) Sure, sure. Well, you my feeling always has this peace of mind, you know, I just want peace of mind. I want to be at peace with myself and the world around me. that's, I mean, I'm probably talking about more philosophically and spiritually as well, but also, you know, in business or residencies or banking. I suppose it's because I left Ireland quite young and I did live.   I didn't just go on a vacation somewhere. lived in Germany for 10 years. I learned the language. Ireland is an island, even though we're part of Europe, continental Europe is completely different. And then I went to Latin America, which is a completely different kettle of fish altogether. And I suppose it was those experiences that the perspective that gave me was that, that sounds very simple, really, root of entry, but there's...   there's good and bad, know, you we do certain things in Ireland very well, and maybe other things not so well in Germany, they do, you know, they've made better cars and better roads. And we do and you know, Latin America, I think they dance better and drink better maybe than you know, but so yeah, what I learned is, you know, you know, you can pick is a bit like life can be a bit like a buffet, and you can pick what you like, and you know what you don't like leave behind, you know, so and the idea, I suppose the point I should make is that   What I've learned is it's not expensive or difficult to be diversified. Like have your banking in different jurisdictions really doesn't cost anything. Having a second or third residency if you do the right homework on I'll go into more detail if you want. have residency still in Panama and I three passports. I'm working on the fourth and it has been a little bit of effort but not expensive or costly.   And will I ever use it? I worried that the world's going to end? No. But it's just that peace of mind you have when you've got these other options that, God forbid if something did happen here in Ireland or Europe, I have a residency in Panama, I banking there. So it's just that, suppose it's like having a parachute or a safety net that's always there.   (Seth Bradley) (07:00.13) Yeah, yeah, I agree. mean, that's, you know, especially the way that things are today and people kind of just worry about things generally, right? If you have that peace of mind and you have that, you know, second or third option, it's just something that can kind of let you sleep at night a little bit better. It's like having a nest egg or, you know, having a second, third, fourth, fifth stream of income.   things like that that can let you sleep at night and while other people are panicking and worrying and making, you know, maybe even bad decisions based on that, you know, based on those worries, you can sleep soundly and make decisions that are best for you.   Yeah, yeah, and you're not limited, know, if you're just, you know, like, I mean, it's funny though, as well, I think it's timely. I think the time has come. I you see people, you know, we were chatting earlier, you know, being involved in multiple different industries and, you know, with technology, we're allowed to do that. We can reside in one country, we can do our bank in another, we can do our tax responsibility somewhere else, we can do our business. So it's probably just in the last 20, 30 years that we can move so freely.   with all this stuff, know, you know, only maybe 25, 30 years ago, I wanted to, I couldn't really do business in Germany, but live in Ireland, it'd have to be one or the other. There was no internet, you know, everything. So, so yeah, I think, I think we're heading in that direction anyway. And it's just, yeah, there's great freedom in it and great peace of mind, even though, you know, I mean, I'll be in Ireland for, you know, my two kids are, there's another six or eight years.   before they finish school. So I plan to be here, but I just have other options as well, you know.   (Seth Bradley) (08:41.42) Yeah, yeah, that's fantastic. And speaking of diversification, mean, your investments are very diverse, right? I mean, in the previous episode, we jumped into rare earth metals. And then in this episode, we're going to jump into something new. Before we jump into the new thing, though, give us a little update on what has changed in your business with the rare earth metals or if anything has changed or how those things are going.   Yeah, well, thanks. Thanks for asking, Seth. Since we spoke, actually, the big news is just in the last 60 days, I think I mentioned to you that China pretty much sort of dominates the rare earth industry. it's, I think really, it's possible and we understand now that China sort of saw before the EU and maybe before the US or they understood at least that rare earths would become   the backbone of manufacturing in the 21st century and they've been, you know, they've taken action on that. So we're in a situation now and it's not really an economic strategy. It's more of a geopolitical strategy that China has big plans for electric cars, big plans for solar, big plans for wind. you know, they, they've hundreds of million people, they're, taken out of the poverty, into the middle class all the time. So sort of   thinking strategically and long term, they rightfully secured their supply of rare earths. And what happened just in the last 60 days is the US sort of initiated a sort of a block. Now it was also supported by Holland and Japan and they're blocking sort of the latest sort of semiconductor technology from going to China. And in retaliation for that, China   You know, they have, you know, an ace up their sleeve, which is where it hurts. So the West has the technology and China has the raw materials. And just in the last 60 days, China has said they're going to, well, effective August 1, which is a month ago, they're restricting the export now of gallium and germanium, which is two of these technology metals, and that China, you know, is responsible for 95 % of the global production. so we're seeing the prices go up and this is sort of.   (Louis O'Connor) (10:57.826) what I talked to you about that these metals are in demand on a good day, you know, you will make a nice return. But if something like this happens where China sort of weaponizes these metals economically, then you'll see prices increasing quite dramatically, which they are. Yeah, that's that's what's happening there. It's basically a market where there's surging demand and you have sort of political landscapes affecting as well. So   It makes for interesting investment.   Yeah, yeah. Are these rare earth metals, are they not something that we can mine or is it something we're not willing to mine, like let's say in the West?   (Louis O'Connor) (11:44.142) Yeah, good question actually. that actually gets right to the heart of it, Seth, because despite the name rare earths, they're not all that rare. Some of them are as sort of common as copper and stuff, but there's about eight or ten of them that are rare and they are available in the US. But this is what's changed dramatically in the last 30 years is the rare earths don't occur naturally. So they always occur as a byproduct of another raw material.   They're sort of, they're very chemically similar. they're, sort of all stuck together. So they have to be extracted and separated and then refined and processed into, you know, high purity levels for jet engines or smartphones or whatever the case might be. what's happened where China dominates is, is China is responsible for 95 % of the refining. Now there's about 200 or sorry, $390 billion available in subsidies in the U S.   from the Inflation Reduction Act, which despite the name is all about energy transition. And that's all very well, except the human capital and the engineering expertise to refine rare earths is depleted in, it doesn't exist in Europe, and it's very much depleted in the US. Just to give you some context, there's 39 universities in China, where they graduate degrees in critical minerals.   So the Chinese are graduating about 200 metallurgists a week, every week for the last 30 years. I think the US has a handful of universities. I'd say there's probably 300,000 metallurgists in China and there might be 400 in the US and probably none in Europe at all. So it's not just a question of if they're there, it's how do we get them into 99.99 % purity? Without the engineering expertise, we can't, not anytime soon anyway.   Wow, yeah, yeah. mean, that just alone sounds like a recipe for a pretty good play for an investment. you know, there's these bottlenecks, right? Whether that's people that can refine it or the actual element itself or willingness to mine it, you know, all these different things come into play to make it a good investment. All right, let's switch over a little bit here. Let's talk about the new investment vehicle.   (Seth Bradley) (14:06.99) that you talked to me about. It's an agricultural play, correct? we're talking about truffles, talking about mushrooms, right? Tell me a little bit about it just to get started here.   Okay, well, you probably I mean, you know, truffles are in the culinary world, they're known as the black diamond of the kitchen, you know, they're, they're a delicacy going back to, you know, thousands and thousands of years. Traditionally, the black perigord, which is the Mediterranean truffle would have originated in France, but for the last sort of, you know, the last 100 years or so,   they've been growing abundantly in sort of South, Southwestern France, Northern Spain and Italy. So traditionally, you know, that's where they grow and they sort of, know, because the truffle, as you said, it's a mushroom that has a symbiotic relationship with a a native tree, an oak tree or hazel tree or sometimes beech. So it's a very delicate balance, you know.   And although I have invested in agriculture before, we started, we, I mean, a collective does not just me involved here, and I don't want to sound like I take credit for any of this really. I was just a part of a team where we had some agri-science people, and we had sort of four generational farmers involved. But we were looking at, it is no question that climate, there's a climate change, right?   It doesn't matter to me whether people, whatever the causes of that are, the reality is if you talk to an olive grower or a truffle grower in Italy or France, they'll tell you the climate has changed because their harvests have been decreasing for about the last 30 to 40 years actually, but really more so in the last 10. So we were sort of, I'll tell you basically the AgriScience partner involved in this.   (Louis O'Connor) (16:10.958) As a test back in 2005, they started to plant and the trees inoculated, the baby trees inoculated with the truffle sort of in the root system as a test all over different countries, not just Ireland, England, UK, also the US. So this has been in sort of research and development since about 2005.   And we got seriously involved in about 2015 when history was made and this Mediterranean truffle was grown here in the British Isles for the first time. we then with our agriscience partner in 2015 planted a thousand trees in five different locations in Ireland where I am.   and one of them is about 20 minutes away from me here. They're all secret locations. I won't even tell you where they are because they really are. They're highly valued or highly prized. And so it takes about four or five years to see if you're a business. So yeah, we now are growing the Mediterranean truffle, not just in Ireland, but in other parts of the UK. But the real interesting thing, Seth, it's just now ready for scale. And all of the farmers,   who were involved in the original research. None of them are going to take it to scale. The one that's local to me is a lovely gentleman. in his 60s and he planted a thousand trees really just as a retirement. His daughter works in banking in Switzerland and so there's nobody really to take over the farm. So we're the first to do it with scale. So we're inviting in...   a portion of some investors in as well.   (Seth Bradley) (18:05.87) Gotcha. Are there specific, I assume there are, are specific growing conditions where these things can prosper? Like I can't, I'm in San Diego, I can't just plant them in my backyard and wait five years and be a millionaire.   Well, if you you if I hear you're growing truffles death, you know, we should assign an NDA we should assign. You could try but no, they wouldn't grow in San Diego because I mean, there's a very delicate balance and you're what you're you're what you're using here is agri science and nature. You're working with nature. And because the reason they've grown so well in demand is   No way.   (Louis O'Connor) (18:48.738) just because of that balance up they get a sort of a dry season or sort of they got to get a lot of rain and then they get the dry season and what's happened is they're getting more drought and less rain and it's just upset the balance. So it's a very, very delicate balance. But what people wouldn't know, I think, is that truffles have always grown wild in Ireland.   There was a time five or 600 years ago when Ireland was 85 % forest and our native tree is the oak and the hazel tree, is the tree that's also where the fungus grows. And what happened was when the Brits were before, you know, when shipbuilding was the thing and the British Navy were, you know, the Spanish were, so the Brits sort of chopped down a lot of the forest for the wood for shipbuilding. you know, our forests were depleted. But to this day,   Truffles do still grow wild here, but we're doing it differently. know, we're only planting on land where you have like certain protein and pH levels and limestone. And then we're planting baby saplings that are already two years old that were inoculated with the truffle fungus like at birth, like in the root system. And we only plant them after we see that the root system and the fungi are already thriving.   So if you get into the right soil and it's already thriving, then two, three, four years later, you'll get truffles.   (Seth Bradley) (20:17.216) the interruption, but we don't do ads. Instead, know that if you're raising capital for real estate, my law firm, RaiseLaw, is here to give you the expert legal guidance you need to raise capital compliantly and structure and close your deal. And if you're looking for a done-for-you fund-to-fund solution, Tribest is the industry's only all-in-one setup and fund administration solution. Visit Raise.Law and Tribest.com to learn more.   That's awesome. just, I think about like wine and like, you know, you can grow it, you know, vines in different places. Some places they grow, some places they don't, some places they grow and the result isn't good and some places they grow and the result is awesome. It's probably a very delicate balance between, you know, environment plus how they're raised, how they're taken care of and all those sorts of things.   It is 100%. I mean, first and foremost, mean, because of angry science and technology today, you know, I mean, we can plant baby saplings that are already and not, I mean, we're playing God a little bit with nature, but you know, I mean, it's just amazing, you know, like you could do it. And then, you know, the biggest threat is actually mismanagement. You know, if you don't then manage it correctly. If you have a root system inoculated with the fungus and you have the right soil conditions,   after that and it's management and it's sort of bio security meaning they have a very pungent smell. mean, squirrels and pigs and they love them. They love to eat. So you have to, mean, you're literally it's like protecting a bank, know, you have a bio security fence. You've you know, you limit visitations to the farm, you've, know, special footwear and cleaning and stuff. so yeah, it's serious stuff, you know.   Yeah. Yeah. Wow. That's awesome. Well, let's dive in a little bit to the kind of the investment itself. Like what does that look like for an investor? Like what are your projected returns? You know, what, how does it all kind of, how does it all shape out? Like you've grown these wildly valuable truffles and now I guess the first step would be what's the business plan? Who are we selling these truffles to? What makes them so valuable? And then get into kind of the investor   (Seth Bradley) (22:33.794) portion like how would someone get involved in whether projector returns.   Okay, so we sell, first of all, the estate that the farm is, it's called Chan Valley Estate. People can Google it, it's beautiful. It's 200 acres of north-temporary farmland. The estate itself, it's a bit like a smaller version of Downton Abbey. It's a Georgian.   a three story Georgian home, it's over 200 years old. It's also a museum and we have events there and it's also a working farm. And it's a herbal farm. So we grow plants and herbs there that we then we have our own, we work the value chain where we also sell those herbs for medicinal purpose and we convert them into medicinal oils and things like that. So the location is already up and running.   And what we're doing with the truffles is for every acre, we can plant 800 trees. And so what we're doing is we're offering investors, well, a client, the minimum investment is $30,000 and the investor for that price gets 400 baby saplings already inoculated with the truffle fungus. And then they get the farm management   included up to the first four to five years. takes about, there'll be truffles after, bearing in mind that the sapling, the baby tree is two years old. So after three years in the ground, it's already five years old and there'll be truffles then and the returns don't begin until then. But what's included in the price is all the farm management, know, all the, you know, the,   (Louis O'Connor) (24:23.508) implementation of the farm, the irrigation, the electricity, the hardware that's needed. So all the management right up until there is production and then when they're producing, the investor gets 70 % of the growth and the farm management company, we get 30%. So it's a 70-30 split. Now the great thing about the oak and the hazel is they'll produce   for 30 to 40 years. it's a long term, it's a legacy investment, you might call it, because you won't see returns until the fourth or fifth year. But once you do, you'll see returns then for another 30 to 35 years. And they're very, very good. mean, we have three numbers in the brochure. We looked at what's...   price half the truffles never dropped below. So we have the very low estimate, which is they've never gone below this price. That brings in an IRR, which would be from day one of about 14%. And then the highest that they've sold for, you're looking at about 69%, but the average is about 38%.   So the returns will be very, very good once production kicks in and then they'll maintain. We've included an inflation for 30 to 40 years. I hope, I think I answered everything there.   Yeah, definitely. sorry. I gave you about six questions there to answer in a row. But yeah, I think you covered everything. And having an IRR, which is time-based on something that has this long of a horizon and even takes four or five years to even start producing, those are really, really strong numbers.   (Louis O'Connor) (26:23.63) Yeah, well, again, even the, you know, one of the reasons obviously we like truffles because they're very, very expensive. mean, they're a luxury product. You know, we're about an hour from Shannon Airport here, which is the transatlantic hub between Europe and the U.S. So we can have truffles in U.S. or anywhere in Europe or even the Middle East or the Far East, for that matter, in less than 24 hours. that's important as well. But they're a luxury item. There's huge demand for them. mean,   You know how the world is. mean, there are, unfortunately, you know, there's always sort of, people are getting richer and some people maybe are getting poorer. But the luxury, you know, high end market and the culinary, international culinary explosion means that, you know, there's huge demand for truffles. And also you have to factor in the fact that the harvests in the Mediterranean are less and less every year. And I mean, very, very sadly,   I mean, it's an opportunity for us, but very sadly that they've done very specific scientific studies and it's going to over the next 50 years, the truffle harvests in the Med will go will decline between 73 and 100%. So literally, they will not be growing truffles there in 50 plus years from now. So that's an opportunity for us. you know, again,   We've been working on this really since 2015. And it was only, you know, it was only 2019, 2020 when we began to get to truffles we knew because there was no guarantee, you know. But yeah, now that we're growing them, we just need to scale up.   Gotcha. Gotcha. what's kind of the I see that you know, for that minimum investment, you get X number of baby saplings. How many was that again? 400. That's what I Okay, 400. What's kind of the survival rate, I guess, of those saplings? Do you have kind of a percentage on that? Is it like?   (Louis O'Connor) (28:17.102) 400   (Louis O'Connor) (28:27.086) Yeah, well, we expect you got what's happening so far is within in about year three, which is actually year five, because the sapling, you should get three of the five trees producing. But once you have production, once that fungi is thriving, it will just continue to grow. So in year four, you should have four of them. In year five, you should have all of them producing.   Now we also put a guarantee in the farm management contract that if any tree, you know, if it dies or if it's not, you know, producing truffles, we'll replace it free of charge at any time. in the event, you know, for some reason, I mean, we put a tree in that's inoculated and it doesn't take, then we just replace it. So either way, over the first four to five years, we get them all. And the great thing is if you protect that soil from   pests and diseases and other sort of unwelcome sort of mycorrhizal or fungi, then it will thrive. It will thrive. It'll keep, you know, it'll spread, you know, it's a symbiotic relationship underground between the tree and the fungi.   Got it. Yeah, that's awesome to know. like survival is not one of the things that we should consider because if for some reason it wouldn't survive or is not producing, then it just gets replaced. So you actually are getting those full 400 saplings turning into trees that will be producing.   almost they mature and produce and you know as I said barring you know any pests or diseases or you know interference then they just continue you just protect them you just allow nature then to do its work.   (Seth Bradley) (30:18.848) Yeah, yeah. So what are some of the risks then? What are the downsides that you can foresee if something were to go wrong? What would it be?   Well, the greatest threat is mismanagement, literally. I obviously we're doing this with scale, so it's a professional endeavor, you know, people from time to time, know, I mean, some of the test sites here, mean, I don't know, it seemed like a good idea at the time, and they're not that hard to manage, but people just lose interest, or the younger kids don't want to farm. But the greatest threat is mismanagement. So as long as you put in these biosecurity measures,   and manage, you know, there's got to be some clearing done, there's got to be some pruning done, there's got to be tree guards. So there is a process involved in bringing them to nurturing them along and then keeping everything, you know, neutral, if you will. that's first, weather is always, you know, factor in agriculture. We don't feel it's as much of a threat here, because although we're for the first time,   growing the Mediterranean truffle. Truffles have grown, they grow here wild anyway. So the climate is right and has been right for thousands of years in Ireland. So, you know, and again, we'll have irrigation as well. You know, we get a lot of rain here. It's not likely we'll need any more rain, but yeah, we, you know, the agri-science will kick in there as well. And then, you know, as I said, like,   you know, biosecurity we call it, which is, you know, very, very serious fencing, limited visits to the farm, know, special footwear if people are going up to the area and sort of rinse. We have a pool area where they have to disinfect before they go into, you know, it's a very, very, very protected area from pests and from diseases or anything, you know, that could be brought in from the outside on whether that's machinery or humans.   (Louis O'Connor) (32:22.892) So yeah, it's almost like a laboratory. mean, you keep it very, very delicate balance and keep it very limited on who visits and, you know, people are a visit, but they have to be properly, you know, the feet have to be cleaned and footwear has to be worn and stuff like that. So, but, know, at the end of the day, Seth, it's, you know, well, any investment really, but agriculture, you know, the final say is in nature's hands, you know, not ours. mean, we...   We like to think, suppose, we're in the results business, but the reality is we're not. in the planning business and all we can do is plan everything as well as we can. It's just like, you if you planted a rose, you know, bush out in your backyard there today, you wouldn't stand outside and will it to grow, right? You know, grow quicker. You know, we have to allow nature and the cosmos to do its work. so yeah, nature has the final say, you know.   Yeah, yeah, no, totally, totally understand. And any investment has its risks, whether you're investing in truffles or real estate or any of the above. Quick question on this. Don't want to paint you like in a bad way at all, but we have had and it's not you, of course, of course, but we've had an influx of bad sponsors and people that are anything from mismanaging investor capital on one end, which can happen pretty easily. And there's not a whole lot of   Not a lot of bad blood there. Things happen. And then on the other side of the spectrum, we've seen everything from fraud to Ponzi schemes and all kinds of stuff lately. One thing that I tell investors is to make sure you know who you're investing with and make sure your investing dollars are actually getting invested where they're supposed to. Could an investor invest with you and actually go to the farm?   and see their saplings or see the farm and see this business.   (Louis O'Connor) (34:24.654) 100 % in fact, we would rather people do I mean, I it's not always possible. Right. But Shan Valley Estate, I mean, I'll give you the website and stuff after Shan Valley Estate. It's a 200 acre farm. It's already a museum. have events there. It's a herb dispensary as I said, as I said, it's our our manage our farm management partner is the Duggan family, their fourth generation farmers and they're being in temporary, you know,   longer than that even. absolutely, you you know, of course, there's legal contracts. mean, people get a legal contract for the purchase of the trees and then we have a legal contract for the farm management that we're responsible for implementing the project, we're responsible for bringing the hard, the trees to truffles to harvest. But we do, we just beginning, we just had our first tour, but it was sort of Europe from Germany. Last, sorry,   the 18th, 19th of August. But we will be having tours every quarter. And if anybody wants to come at any time, we'd be delighted to have them because it's like I said, it's like a smaller version of Downton Abbey. And we've accommodated, we converted the stables into accommodation, you know, because we have weddings and events and stuff there as well. It's not just a field that we bought.   Yeah.   And so it's a big deal. I'll give you the website. The location is spectacular and clients can, you know, stay the night, you know, and there's a three story Georgian estate house and the bottom floor is a museum. So it's like walking into a pharmacy from 1840, all the bottles and the counter is 200 years old, you know, and then the middle level, we've an organic vegetarian restaurant, all the   (Louis O'Connor) (36:17.24) food is grown on the farm. There's an old walled garden that they used to wall the gardens years ago to keep out the pests. And all the food that's served is grown on the farm. And then the top floor is accommodation as well and the stables have been converted. look, it's all about trust, Seth. And, you know, I would say to anybody, you've   I mean myself, if I have any doubt about anything, don't do it. And it might not be that somebody's a scam or a fraud, it's just if you're not 100 % sure about it, don't touch it. But what I would recommend is people do their due diligence because we've done ours. We've eight years invested in it, put a lot of time and effort into it. And at the very least, we'd like people to check it out and see it all the way through.   for what it is. yeah, we'll be, we're hoping to, we have a partner in Europe and we're to connect with somebody in North America. I don't want name anybody here because it might not come off, but there's a few sort of marketers and there's plenty obviously that we might sort of do a sort of an agreement with where they'll, you know, I mean, we could even have sort of investment real estate conferences on the farm.   you know, and do farm tours as well. so definitely 100 % we'd love for people to visit and, and they get to drink some Guinness and they're really brave, they can swim in the Irish sea.   Yeah, and I'm looking at the website right now. We'll drop that in the show notes, but it is absolutely gorgeous. I mean, it's making me want to get on a plane right now and check it out. It's incredible.   (Louis O'Connor) (38:00.046) Yeah, that's the estate, shambali.ie. I mean, what I love about it's 100 % organic or members of the Irish Organic Association, track ref, fourth generation. You know, this is not me, I'm a part of this, but the farm management team are, you know, they're already like growing herbs and plants and converting them to medicinal, you know, oils and things. And this is just another, it's more of a farming enterprise, I suppose, than a farm.   And then the other partner is the Agri Science Partner, which is this team of scientists who basically made history by growing for the very first time eight years ago, the black, the Mediterranean truffle in Ireland, you know, so there's a lot of professionalism and thought and effort being put into a chap.   Love that. Love that man. Is there anything else about this type of investment that I didn't ask about that I should have?   I think you know Seth, you should be on CNN or something because I you did. I'm pretty sure you did, you definitely covered it. I mean I may have left something out but I think it's a good foundation for somebody if they're interested, I'll give them my email and you know it's not that expensive to get to Europe and it's a great way to mix a holiday and you know come to the farm and stuff you know.   Absolutely, absolutely. Well, since you're repeat guest of the guest of the show, we won't go into the freedom for but you have one last golden nugget for our listeners.   (Louis O'Connor) (39:34.446) You know, I knew you were going to ask me that, Seth, you caught me off guard. So I have one ready and I stole this from someone else. So I'm not going to take it. But I was listening to a guy last week and he, sort of a big operation in Europe. And he was talking about a phrase they have in the office and it's 1%. And they always look at each other and when you pass them, they go 1%. And I love what it's about. It's about the idea that in a way it sort of comes back to what we talked about earlier, which is forget about.   Yeah.   (Louis O'Connor) (40:04.664) the fact don't think you're in the results business. You're in the planning business. And the 1 % is every day, try and improve every little action. I'm not just talking about work. I'm talking about family, your spiritual practice, if you have one, increase it by 1 % every day. And you know, it's like compound interest, isn't it? That in a way, then you don't have to worry about the big picture. And the results will just look after themselves then, you know.   Yeah, yeah, I love that man. Always improve. mean, you you've got to take small steps to get to those big goals. And a lot of times you just need to ask yourself, did I improve 1 % today? If the answer is yes, then it was a successful day.   Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And it's great because, you know, if I was to try and think now, or you were to try and think now, everything you have to do in the next three weeks, right, you just be overwhelmed, right. And sometimes my head is like that, you know, I mean, I've got meditation practice and stuff, but I watch my thoughts and you know, I mean, it's it's a fact. I mean, it's a human condition. I don't know, some disestimates of how many thoughts do we have a day? How many are repetitive and how many are useless?   A lot of them are repetitive, a lot of them are useless. So it's good just to narrow it right down to what's the next thing I can do right now and can I do it 1 % better than I did yesterday, you know?   Absolutely. Love that man. All right, Lou, we're gonna let us find out more about you.   (Louis O'Connor) (41:34.954) Okay, so they can email me. It's Truffle Farm Invest. Sorry, it's a new website www.trufflefarminvest.com or they can if somebody from your your audience wants to email me directly, it's louis at trufflefarminvest.com   Alright, perfect man. We'll drop all that in the show notes. Thanks again for coming on the show. Always a pleasure, brother.   Thank you very much, Seth. A pleasure.   (Seth Bradley) (42:08.088) Thanks for tuning in to Raise the Bar Radio. If you enjoyed today's episode, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Keep pushing, keep building, and keep raising the bar. Until next time, enjoy the journey. Links from the Show and Guest Info and Links: Seth Bradley's Links: https://x.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.youtube.com/@sethbradleyesq www.facebook.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.threads.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.instagram.com/sethbradleyesq/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethbradleyesq/ https://passiveincomeattorney.com/seth-bradley/ https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/sethbradleyesq https://medium.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.tiktok.com/@sethbradleyesq?lang=en Louis O'Connor's Links: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054362234822 https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-o-connor-a583341b8/ https://www.cnbc.com/video/2023/08/30/strategic-metals-founder-louis-oaconnor-breaks-down-china-u-s-rare-metal-wars.html

Eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people to prevent devastating and often fatal conditions. The method, pioneered by UK scientists, combines the egg and sperm from a mum and dad with a second egg from a donor woman. The technique has been legal in the UK for a decade but this is the first proof it is leading to children born free of incurable mitochondrial disease, which is normally passed from mother to child. Anita Rani is joined by Kat Kitto who has two daughters, one of whom has mitochondrial disease, and Louise Hyslop, consultant embryologist at the Newcastle Fertility Centre, to tell us more. Hit ITV crime drama Karen Pirie returns to our screens for a second series this weekend, based on the Val McDermid series of novels about a young Scottish detective. Anita is joined in the studio by showrunner, screenwriter and actor Emer Kenny to talk about bringing a new cold case to life for Karen to solve, juggling series two with a newborn, and how she's managed to combine acting and writing since landing her first big role as Zsa Zsa Carter in EastEnders at the age of 20.A Government review found that porn involving non-fatal strangulation was "rife" and its prevalence online was contributing to choking, filtering into some people's sex lives - particularly among young people. Last month it was announced that choking will be criminalised in an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. To discuss, Anita was joined by Professor Clare McGlynn, Professor of Law at Durham University who contributed to the review, and Dr Jane Meyrick, Associate Professor of Health Psychology at the University of the West of England, who specialises in sexual health and sexual violence. This week, throughout our series on women and gaming, we've heard about the influence that games can have in society. We've spoken to women working in the industry, and found out more about the impact gaming can have on women, but we can't shy away from the fact that there are still barriers stopping women from accessing games. Anita is joined by to Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games, Nick Toole, CEO of Ukie, and Stephanie Ijoma, gamer and founder of NNESAGA, to discuss what still needs to change and how the industry can improve. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones

By day Matt Winning works on climate policy. By night, he's turning scientific data into jokes. Fusing razor-sharp research with dry Scottish wit, Matt uses stand-up to make the climate crisis feel less distant, more human, and a lot harder to ignore.

Hope Hopkinson talks to director Athina Rachel Tsangari and actor Herry Melling about their new film, Harvest. The latest feature from celebrated filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari (Chevalier, Attenberg), HARVEST is a spellbinding and thrillingly distinctive period piece like no other. Telling a story steeped in folk horror, and featuring another strikingly memorable performance from Caleb Landry Jones (Nitram), Tsangari presents a study of superstition, the trauma of modernity, and the looming threat of the outsider.  Set over seven hallucinatory days in an undefined era, an idyllic rural Scottish village with no name faces a period of great uncertainty when the community's traditional way of life is suddenly disrupted by seismic economic turmoil. Townsman-turned-farmer Walter Thirsk (Landry Jones) and local landowner Master Kent (Harry Melling, The Tragedy of Macbeth) are childhood friends who lay witness to a series of unexpected invaders from the outside world, whose arrival brings about irrevocable – and potentially damaging – change.   Adapted from Jim Crace's Booker Prize-nominated novel and co-starring Rosy McEwen, Arinzé Kene, Thalissa Teixeira, and Frank Dillane, HARVEST is an eerie, atmospheric and deeply immersive cinematic experience, blending beautifully textured storytelling with an exploration of what happens when people decide what a society should be.  If you'd like to send us a voice memo for use in a future episode, please email podcast@picturehouses.co.uk. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow us on Spotify. Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with @picturehouses. Find our latest cinema listings at picturehouses.com.  Produced by Stripped Media. Thank you for listening. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends. Vive le Cinema.

Today, the voting age at the next general election will be lowered across the UK to 16 for the first time.Labour's election manifesto last year pledged to lower the voting age to 16 - in line with Scottish and Welsh elections. The Prime Minister has said 16 and 17-year-olds are "old enough to go out to work, they are old enough to pay taxes". The policy has been criticised by the Conservatives and Reform. Adam and Chris are joined by Professor Jane Green - Director of Nuffield Politics Research Centre and President of the British Polling Council.And, MP Diane Abbott has been suspended by the Labour Party pending an investigation into comments she made about racism, the BBC understands. Labour said it would not be commenting "while this investigation is ongoing".You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast". It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhereGet in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a whatsapp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1 Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producers were Joe Wilkinson and Jada Meosa John. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham

Episode 483 / Steven CoxSteven Cox (b. 1986, Aberdeen) is a Scottish artist who lives and works in Edinburgh, Scotland. He holds a BA in Painting from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee, and an MA in Curating and Contemporary Art Theory from the University of Edinburgh.Cox is known for his vibrant abstract oil paintings, which explore materiality and mark-making. Over the past decade, he has developed a distinctive process involving the transfer of thick layers of oil paint onto canvas using plastic sheets. His work is deeply informed by an interest in the built environment, topography, and defaced surfaces, resulting in a visual language that oscillates between colour field painting and abstract expressionism. Cox is represented by Halsey McKay Gallery in New York. He has held numerous solo exhibitions internationally, including at Halsey McKay Gallery and A Hug From The Art World (New York, USA); Galerie Jérôme Pauchant (Paris, France); Annarumma Gallery (Naples, Italy); and Galleri Benoni (Copenhagen, Denmark). He has also exhibited in various international group exhibitions and artist residencies. His work has been featured in publications such as Modern Painters Magazine, ArtNews, ArtInfo, Wall Street International, Copenhagen Contemporary, Art F City, and Dust Magazine.More information: www.stevencox.co.ukInstagram: @studiostevencoxIn addition to his art practice, Steven Cox is the founder of Hunted Projects, a contemporary art gallery and curatorial platform based in Edinburgh. Established in 2011, Hunted Projects fosters unique collaborations with both emerging and established artists. Central to its ethos is a commitment to conducting in-depth interviews that provide insight into each artist's creative process and conceptual approach. These dialogues often inform the curation of site-specific solo and group exhibitions that amplify the artists' voices in compelling and innovative ways. More information: www.huntedprojects.comInstagram: @huntedprojects

Welcome to the Scottish Watches Podcast episode 692! Starting with Block RG's €375,000 Radical Stealth Tourbillon—an angular, sci-fi creation with a massive skeletonized movement and stealth bomber inspiration. We explore... The post Scottish Watches Podcast #692 : Fantastic Four, Black Holes and Meteorites – Its A Sci Fi Selection appeared first on Scottish Watches.

Chris and Ugo are in Brisbane as Andy Farrell names his long-awaited Lions Test team. There are some big selection calls in the back row as Farrell weighs up form against pedigree, while it's an all-Scottish midfield in an otherwise Irish and English dominated squad. How will Jac Morgan be feeling after being left out? And what are the other areas of debate? We also discuss the Australia team after they lose some big names up front and turn to a rookie with a famous name at fly-half, before haring across town to meet up with Wallaby great Will Genia.

On this episode of The Breakaway, Connor is joined by midfielder Nick Ross. Nick talks the Scottish trend on the team, the recent win against El Paso, and the competitiveness of the current squad.

Gerry takes a quick run through this weekend's Scottish League Cup matches and eyes up goals for a trio of Premiership clubs.

A WW2 fantasy: a spy and a pilot take refuge in each other. by PeriodPorn. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Max turned around, still half asleep, pulling my body into the half-moon of his own. We lay on a straw mattress in the loft of a barn that had been taken by the resistance here in rural France, and for modesty's sake we had retreated to either sides of it; a difficult task, now made more challenging by the pilot's movements. He took a deep inhale, his face nestled into the back of my neck, and exhaled warm breath onto my tingling skin. Now, with me in his arms, his nightmares were retreating into the dark recess of his subconscious.We had slept beside each other for four nights now. That was how long it had been since we had found each other on a backroad from the border, him separated from his grounded plane and me… well, I had kept myself separate from everything in order to remain undetected. Every night he had been wracked with awful nightmares; this was the first he had touched me in his sleep. I knew that this respite from undoubtedly horrid images should be protected, but an itch inside of me yearned for his hands, now securely fastened at my waist, to animate themselves and explore my body. He had removed his cotton undershirt to sleep better in the heat, and in the dappled moonlight of the barn I could make out the sinews beneath his bare skin. “You hardly know him”, my brain hissed to itself, cannibalistic in it's determination to stifle the urges. “And he's not even awake so he doesn't know what he's doing”- Yet, I tilted my pelvis back ever so slightly. I sighed, trying to mimic the unintentional sounds of someone asleep. The movement made my body arch back into his groin. His body seemed to instinctively tighten around me, welcoming the way the space between us vanished. I felt small, childlike inside his broad, muscular frame. I tilted my pelvis back yet again, hoping the rhythmic movement might stir some kind of consciousness into his lower half. I moaned, as if I was the one having nightmares now. His arms, once slack against my lithe torso, now stiffened. That might have done it. I continued to keep my eyes shut, gripping my arms tighter against his, as if I were protecting myself. The more I created this fiction, the more real it felt. Hadn't I been trying to make myself invisible, protecting myself from enemies this whole time? “Natalie?” He whispered, his Scottish vowels thick and low in his hoarse semi-consciousness. I waited a moment, then pretended to rouse myself. I murmured a little. “Natalie,” he said, more gently this time, “I think you're havin' a nightmare.” You're a sneaky bitch, my brain thought- but his arms were so strong, his chest so firm against my back. I hadn't felt this safe since the start of the war. I was alone then… I had been alone for years. I had used men sexually, of course… but not for my own comfort. Not for my own pleasure. Hadn't I known from the moment he smiled from beneath his RAF cap that this could be a different kind of ally? “You're having a bad dream,” he repeated softly, with a tenderness I almost couldn't bear. As if I'd known him for more than two days. As if the thought of me, my safety, and my unreachable subconscious was of the utmost importance to him. I turned in so I was facing him, curling inwards and tucking my face just below his chin. I would never admit to being frightened by daylight, but in the darkness, I permitted myself this luxury; comfort. I had been frightened for so long, one almost comes to accept it; it was a fear people who did not know wartime would never understand. One of the pilots arms wrapped around my back and scooped me up, the other wrapping underneath my neck to cradle the nape of my hairline. His fingers were coarse unlike mine which were still soft from handling weapons of a slightly different kind: transistor radios. “Shhh,” he whispered sleepily. “It's alright.” His hand was so big that whilst still cupping the back of my head, his thumb could rest against my cheek. It stroked my face calmly, sending chills from the root of my torso up my spine. My breath caught a little, suspended between us. His other arm was still draped around me, no doubt feeling the change in my body. His body stilled too; he was suddenly holding his breath as well. His thumb, however, maintained its steady rhythm. I held my breath still, willing it to edge closer towards my parted lips. And then, it did. I could feel it… His thumb was edging closer and closer towards my lips, and then dared to caress them, catching slowly against my full lower lip as it did. The moment his thumb caught my lower lip, I exhaled, a light breeze brushing against his skin. His thumb lingered there, against the warm and wet skin inside. He was waiting for me to protest, to push him away. The silence between us felt electric. I moved one of my legs to negotiate the space between his, hooking myself around him so that our bodies could press together. With my chest now against his, I could feel the air between us thudding with quickening heartbeats. He did not remove his thumb from the entrance of my mouth. He was waiting for me to give him a signal to proceed. I gently brought his thumb between my teeth. It felt both coquettish and primal; the feeling of something fragile, soft, ready to be destroyed. Yet, his thumb retreated. I might have lost hope there, embarrassed and rejected, were it not for the feeling of his thrust pulsating against my lap. An unmistakable reaction of longing. I should not have worried; his retreating thumb dragged down my chin and neck slowly, leaving a slightly damp residue behind it that cooled quickly in the night air. Simultaneously his other arm brought me even closer to him, his breathing quickening. “Natalie,” he whispered, betraying a deep sense of longing. I knew he wanted me, then. He wanted me quite desperately. But I did not want it to be quick. I wanted it to be slow. I brought my free arm up behind his head so I could drag my fingers from the back of his head to the back of his neck, bringing my face up to meet his. Would he take it from me greedily, as if I were some street woman in a foreign city, an anonymous body that he could hide inside until his grief had retreated? He seemed to sense this. Instead of greedily launching at my mouth, he held me there. “I wish I could see your eyes,” he whispered urgently. “Your eyes…” “You can,” I promised him. “What do you see?” I was terrified of his answer, because I knew that so many men had answers readily prepared for questions like this; it didn't matter who was looking at them or who was asking. Intimacy was a game, a war they could win on foreign shores before returning to their squadrons to regale their mates with their conquests. I felt too deeply for that. Losing this moment to a parlour story meant for male amusement would be too painful. He was silent. Then, in a voice of resignation and sadness: “I saw a lot of pain.” There was no pretence, no air of manipulation. There was familiarity, however; a sense that he recognised it in me because he felt it himself. I held his neck here, hit with a wave of grief for us both. I would have pulled him so close that his body merged with mine, if I could. But this hand released him as soon as it held him there, tracing down the skin of his spine until I could pull it inwards towards our stomachs and continue this unbroken line, ever so slowly, around his side and drag it upwards between us against his almost hairless chest. I felt his heart beating there. His mast continued to throb against me, but it did not cheapen the moment. It intensified it. I knew he wanted me, and that it took everything in him to restrain himself… because he needed me more than he wanted me. He needed me to be here, in whatever way, and he wouldn't do anything to risk it being taken away. “I need you too.” I breathed. He could have me in whatever way he wanted… if that's what he really wanted. I could feel his face tilting towards mine, slowly, until his breath whispered against my mouth. Our lips were so close, his breath sweet and warm, smelling of the mead we'd drank with the resistance soldiers downstairs. His lips were soft against mine. I realised then that I had imagined this moment every time I looked at them, plump and full. His wrested with mine, not trying to part them but just enjoying the way they melted into each other. I was hungrier, it seemed; I gently parted his, daring my tongue to trace within just has his thumb had done only a few moments before. He drank me in. His warm tongue wrapped against mine, sending tingles through every nerve ending available, making me hungrier and hungrier. He finally broke his stillness. He gave in to his urges and grasped my body firmly. He positioned me on top of him as if I weighed nothing. My groin could not be separated from his, seeking heat and pressure, pressing against his shaft and his lower abdomen as I righted myself on top of him. Electricity surged inside of me, moving me to sit up away from his intensifying kiss so that I could straighten my arms and brace them on either side of his shoulders to slowly rock the seat of my body against him. I was abreast a wild horse, willing it to pursue. He groaned quietly, rock-hard beneath me. I continued to work him, wanting to feed the desire I knew was raging inside of him. It became too much to bear; he reached up with one hand and secured it behind my neck, bringing us together so that he could kiss me again, more urgently and messily this time. I slipped one of my arms down against his chest again, wanting to coax the creature that was aching for mine. He almost snarled inside my mouth as he grabbed that same hand and used his body to deftly spin me to my back, pinning both arms up on either side of my head. I exhaled through a smile, exhilarated by his careful control of my body. Now he had me pinned, and with a masterful restraint pulled his crotch away from mine so he could move quickly down towards my base. It was yearning for touch. I found myself nervous; he may not do this for women, I thought. A lot of men don't. Yet his fingers must have found the hem of my silk nightgown resting at my thighs because I could feel the roughness of his touch grazing upwards against my sensitive, soft skin towards my mound. I was not wearing undergarments. The pair I used were precious and currently drying somewhere… does he think me a whore, I worried- He seemed to sense my mind fretting because one of his hands felt down the side of my body slowly, taking in my shape. He was soothing me, willing me to relax. His caress was deliberate, careful, finishing at the side of my body where he gripped my hip, his fingers sinking into my soft arse cheeks. He audibly groaned here, starved for the softness of a woman's body. “Fuck,” he breathed, using his free hand to gently part my knees even further and position himself at the entrance. His head remained above water, however, and I could feel his eyes searching for mine through the dark. “Please…” he begged gruffly. “Please,” I exhaled urgently, bucking my hips upwards in an attempt to bring him closer to me. I felt his dark hair, dark brown and curly in the daylight, tickle the sensitive inner side of my thighs, signalling his descent into heaven. “Slowly,” I begged, my body already wired with so much desire that I felt I might break if he touched me too quickly, or too hard. He slowly kissed along the parting of my lips. This was almost too much; my inhales were short and sharp. He finally slid his warm, wet tongue between the folds ever so slightly, barely reaching the pink beneath that was slickening in preparedness. I groaned now, all other thoughts fleeing my body in anticipation for the moment his tongue would properly enter. When it did, I felt a rush of warmth cascade from my feet upwards. I could hear the sound of his wet tongue against my own moisture, lapping upwards towards the golden crown at the top. He was slow and deliberate, without feeling mechanical or procedural; He was listening to my breath, instructed by the movement and response of my body. I made a guttural sound as he reached the sacred place, his tongue flicking against it gently before massaging around its edges- “Yes,” I gasped, “like that-” But he didn't need my help, because my body was riding against his face, helping him reach the momentum it needed. His tongue quickened its pace, sensing that I was riding towards something that was fast approaching- “I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming” I chanted breathlessly, the ebbing of warmth in every part of my body concentrating into an intense beam that was crescendo-ing into its peak. It had been so long since I felt this. His tongue, darting deftly, was only seconds away from that final stroke. When it finally came, the crest of the wave brought a spilling sensation that had my legs quivering around the sides of his head. Then, my body felt as though it had melted away entirely. He hungrily kissed upwards from my abdomen, resurfacing to kiss my mouth with stubble wet from my release. “Max,” I whispered. I was panting slightly, my eyes still rolling backwards towards the darkness above. I was immobilised. “I'm sorry, I…” “No,” he stopped me. He didn't care if I returned the favour; he was too busy kissing my body lightly, devouring every inch he could. I must have tasted salty with sweat. I smiled, willing myself to return to reality. I reached for his hand, guiding it up towards my breast. His body came with it, softly pressing against mine. I could feel his member was already stiff – it seemed to have only strengthened in the time since I'd last felt it in my hand – but with the mention of my soft breasts, it quivered against my abdomen. His fingers started to gently coax the nipple, sending goosebumps down my torso. He was not like other boys, who grabbed and pinched. He took it into his mouth, sucking ever so gently. My other hand felt for him, moving from the base towards the tip ever so gently. “I could do this to you all night,” he promised me quietly- “No.” It was my turn to stop him. My strength had returned. I slunk downwards towards his cotton pants, bulging against what was within. I pulled them downwards, feeling his legs start to kick them away. We had showered hours before for the first time in months; his body smelled faintly sweet, a musk of summer sweat just starting to descend upon both of us. I kissed the inner sides of his thighs and up around his navel, wanting to draw out this moment for him. I moved unpredictably towards his erection, trusting that in the darkness he was relying on the sensation of touch alone. When I finally and slowly licked the length of his shaft, I heard him gasp in the darkness above me. “Natalie,” he exhaled with something that sounded almost like awe. I continued to slick his shaft with my tongue, working my way up towards the tip carefully, only tempering it ever so delicately. I needed to take it all into my mouth, though; I did, working up and down slowly, creating pressure with my lips as I went. “Ugh,” he groaned, “Oh, Jesus…” I worked him at the same slow pace, feeling his member throb with the base of my tongue. He was writhing beneath me on the bed, his hands grasping for my hair, my arm. The slowness was excruciating- So I replaced the pressure of my mouth with the pressure of my hand, gently increasing the pace. He was in ecstasy, laughing amidst the groans of delight. “You're amazing”, he exhaled in disbelief. I could hear his smile. I would have continued for as long as he would have me, but before long he was begging. “I need to be inside you.” I was quick to oblige, my opening aching with the promise of him. I straddled him once more, one hand bracing gently against his firm abdomen while the other hand guided him inside. There was little resistance; I was already so wet, enveloping him as if we had been designed to take each other and each other alone. He was the one who wanted to go slowly now, starting to buck his own hips up underneath me to feel me tighten around him… but I wanted to stay in control now, in the same way he had taken charge of me. I rocked forwards and back on him, riding him so that my pussy moved up and then back down to the base of his shaft with every stride. It felt as if he were entering me for the first time, over and over. I pinned his arms down, letting him relax into the feeling of being taken. He sat up abruptly, laughing in delight, pulling my torso towards his so that he could position me to be leaning back a little. He held me there easily with one arm, using his strength now to push upwards inside of me, pulsing harder and faster. I groaned, feeling him start to hit the wall of my cervix and hint at that inner spot, a different kind of dulled pleasure starting to awaken. I gripped my legs around the back of his torso to intensify it. He responded by taking both arms around me and standing up, lifting me easily and turning me over onto my back, gently laying me down while still maintaining his anchor inside me. He pumped inside of me here, harder than he had before. I wanted him to. He was starting to give in to his own needs now, rather than only thinking of mine. It was not reckless, or angry; it was deliberate, controlled. He was starving, but I knew too that he would hold out as long as he could. I felt my inner centre start to glow with the promise of a different kind of climax. I was surprised. I let out a low, sustained moan and positioned my legs so that they would tuck over his shoulders. I needed him to go even deeper now. He obliged, pumping. His breath was short; I could hear he was getting closer because he was exerting more and more force in his breaths, trying desperately to hold out. But I wanted him to surrender. With my face beside his head, my soft mews of encouragement were right beside his ears. Nothing was lost on him, and every sound I made egged him on. “I want you,” I said in a low whisper. “I want you.” This was too much for him; he spluttered, his body spasming suddenly. I could feel his rod giving it's final quiver, releasing his load inside of me. This filled me with such intense satisfaction that I rode my own kind of second wave of pleasure. He sighed, falling against my breast bone and burying his head into the side of my neck. He inhaled here, holding my head in his hand, cradling it. The pressure of his body against mine felt like home. I felt safe. “Natalie…” he murmured. I don't know what followed in his mind, what he was thinking but not saying, but it didn't matter. He rolled over onto his side, stroking my face in the darkness. Accustomed to the darkness now, I could see his eyes, searching for mine. I allowed myself to blink once or twice and look up at him. I didn't want to be separated from him… but I tore myself away to clean up. The air was fresh around my body, naked of it's covering, somehow removed in the throes of ecstasy. I hoped this would bring him relief, that he could sleep now, that I would return to the bed to find him sound asleep. His body was sprawled on its back, the moonlight illuminating his gorgeous expanse of chest, muscle and smooth pale skin. I found my place beside him, trying not to disturb. But within moments, he had turned himself inward to hold me again, our bodies returned to their half moons, only now there was only skin separating us. by PeriodPorn for Literotica.

Will Doctor gives you the sharpest card for the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush -Discussing top 10 on odds board at Open -4 matchups -2 t10's -2 futures outrights, 1 outright added -Sleeper, 3 R1 three balls, lineups -Scoring, best bet For the latest on the world of golf, follow Doc on X @drmedia59

Tom has managed his first round of golf of the tour and turns up to the pod with news of a hole in one – sort of! GRO is starting to get tour FOMO now that Chris is on the ground, but how will he feel after the series done? We discuss what we want from the Tests, and if the Wallabies can deliver jeopardy and drama we crave. Would three resounding wins for the Lions be a good thing? News of the Test team has started to emerge in Brisbane ahead of the announcement tomorrow and all signs point to an all-Scottish midfield. There's finally a Welsh win for GRO to celebrate and more Springbok rugby shenanigans to debate.

Will Doctor gives you the sharpest card for the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush -Discussing top 10 on odds board at Open -4 matchups -2 t10's -2 futures outrights, 1 outright added -Sleeper, 3 R1 three balls, lineups -Scoring, best bet For the latest on the world of golf, follow Doc on X @drmedia59

Mark Anderson interviews Innes Smith—a Scottish actor, writer, voice artist, and long-time researcher of the paranormal. His career spans BBC radio comedy, animation, theatre, and voice work for games and science centres, Innes brings a unique blend of creativity, curiosity, and wit to the world of the weird. But it's his deep-rooted passion for the unexplained that truly sets him apart. As President of the Scottish Society for Psychical Research and former co-host of the podcast Weirder Hings.

Lewis Capaldi is a Scottish singer-songwriter known for hits like “Someone You Loved”, “Before You Go”, and his new song “Survive”. Lewis joins Theo in NYC to talk about his triumphant return to touring after taking 2 years off from music, an update on his mental health, and why so many UFOs are showing up in Scotland.  Lewis Capaldi: https://www.instagram.com/lewiscapaldi  ------------------------------------------------ Tour Dates! https://theovon.com/tour New Merch: https://www.theovonstore.com ------------------------------------------------- Sponsored By: Celsius: Go to the Celsius Amazon store to check out all of their flavors. #CELSIUSBrandPartner #CELSIUSLiveFit https://amzn.to/3HbAtPJ Moonpay: Head over to https://www.moonpay.com/THEO to sign up! Sonic: Order the Sonic x Grillo's Big Dill Meal https://www.sonicdrivein.com/menu/sonic-x-grillos-pickles/ BetterHelp: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp - go to http://betterhelp.com/theo to get 10% off your first month. ------------------------------------------------- Music: “Shine” by Bishop Gunn Bishop Gunn - Shine ------------------------------------------------ Submit your funny videos, TikToks, questions and topics you'd like to hear on the podcast to: tpwproducer@gmail.com Hit the Hotline: 985-664-9503 Video Hotline for Theo Upload here: https://www.theovon.com/fan-upload Send mail to: This Past Weekend 1906 Glen Echo Rd PO Box #159359 Nashville, TN 37215 ------------------------------------------------ Find Theo: Website: https://theovon.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/theovon Facebook: https://facebook.com/theovon Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thispastweekend Twitter: https://twitter.com/theovon YouTube: https://youtube.com/theovon Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheoVonClips Shorts Channel: https://bit.ly/3ClUj8z ------------------------------------------------ Producer: Zach https://www.instagram.com/zachdpowers Producer: Trevyn https://www.instagram.com/trevyn.s/  Producer: Nick https://www.instagram.com/realnickdavis/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the show this time, it’s the danceable singalong punk-rock of Scottish band Franz Ferdinand. They released their debut single in 2003. They followed it up with “Take Me Out” in early 2004. After a slow start, the song caught on, partly thanks to heavy rotation on MTV. They were awarded the Mercury Prize, and their debut album sold millions of copies. They’ve been on a steady roll since, recently releasing their 6th studio album The Human Fear available through the Domino Recording Company. Recorded March 23rd, 2025 Jacqueline Song No You Girls Black Eyelashes Hooked Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the show this time, it’s the danceable singalong punk-rock of Scottish band Franz Ferdinand. They released their debut single in 2003. They followed it up with “Take Me Out” in early 2004. After a slow start, the song caught on, partly thanks to heavy rotation on MTV. They were awarded the Mercury Prize, and their debut album sold millions of copies. They’ve been on a steady roll since, recently releasing their 6th studio album The Human Fear available through the Domino Recording Company. Recorded March 23rd, 2025 Jacqueline Song No You Girls Black Eyelashes Hooked Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daniel and Adam are finally back together after a summer break, and there's plenty to catch up on! Daniel kicks off the episode with tales of a surprise celebrity encounter during a Fourth of July run—turns out, podcast legend Larry Vader was in Orlando, leading to an epic lunch with Vader and Big Mama (fresh off a Disney cruise). Meanwhile, Adam returns from a whirlwind trip to Scotland, regaling Daniel with stories of white-knuckle driving on the “wrong” side of the road, run-ins with overly helpful Kias, and lessons in Scottish geography (including why “Inverness” means what it does).Travel woes and culture shocks give way to a whiskey distillery adventure, complete with overpriced taxis, arbitrary “danger lines,” and a crash course in barley anatomy. Adam and Daniel muse on the mysteries of whiskey tasting and swap thoughts on the finer points of smoky vs. sweet spirits—ultimately agreeing that sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar (even when it's whiskey). The duo dig into tech talk, AI industry hype, and the rise of “context engineering” for working with language models, with Daniel describing his move to structured XML prompts and providing a little inside baseball on how AI models really work.Later, the “Contact” segment features a bumper crop of listener texts and voicemails—celebrity death updates, Pokémon rain gear theories, debates about banana reports, and Kathy Bacon's grocery bill deep-dives. The News Game makes a triumphant return with questions about Texas floods, viruses, and James Gunn's new Superman movie. To top it all off, Adam demos his new Ray-Ban “nerd glasses,” and Daniel gives a PSA about the real culprits behind your summer electric bill (hint: it's not your LED light bulbs). As always, it's a perfectly chaotic blend of tech, travel, trivia, and the signature banter fans love.Email: Contact@MixMinusPodcast.comVoice/SMS: 707-613-3284

Donate to support the podcast There's been a lot of missing in action in this week's podcast. Where is the Scottish government and the SNP when an energy supplier, Octopus, calls for zonal pricing that would give Scotland the cheapest energy in Europe? They're kind of missing in action. We talk about the latest proposals by Rachel Reeves, which looks like a bonfire of the regulations on the banking sector, which kind of prompted all the chaos post 2008.Is that really going to be such a great advance? And back to Israel and Palestine, some shocking admissions, about the connections between the current Labour government and trips to Israel that were not declared by MPs. That and more news about the July 19 march in this week's podcast on lesleyridich.com and social media.Scottish National demonstration Saturday 19 July Assemble 1pm foot of the Mound Edinburghhttps://www.scottishpsc.org.uk/event/eggec-nakba-demo-duplicate-1/ ★ Support this podcast ★

After a couple of weeks holiday, we are back to talk over the Scottish Open, preview the Open Championship and talk a little about the lack of Scottish participation in our junior national events.

An airhacks.fm conversation with Maurice Naftalin (@mauricenaftalin) about: experiences with Visual Age for Java and its visual programming approach with arrows connecting components, working on British Department of Health and Social Security project using Visual Age for Java for benefits system navigation, comparison of various Java IDEs including Visual J++, Sun Java Workshop, JBuilder, Eclipse, NetBeans, IntelliJ IDEA, and Visual Studio Code, advantages of VS Code for polyglot programming and its growing ecosystem, visual programming experiences with state charts for reactive systems, IBM Rational tools and UML integration, successful visual programming with NetBeans Matisse GUI builder and AWS Step Functions, Model Driven Architecture and code generation from UML diagrams, writing Java Generics and Collections book with Philip Wadler for Java 5 and updating it for a second edition, changes in Java idioms over 15 years including deprecation of wrapper class constructors, sequence collections as major addition to Java collections framework, PECS (Producer Extends Consumer Super) principle for generics, underappreciated Java collections like NavigableMap, preference for method references and keeping lambdas concise in streams, using Class::method notation instead of Class.method, Scottish countryside and Edinburgh living experiences, early internet challenges with 300 baud acoustic couplers influencing views on network distribution versus CD-ROMs, transition from safety-critical systems to Java training and consulting, importance of understanding bounded wildcards in generics, future impact of Project Valhalla on generics and collections Maurice Naftalin on twitter: @mauricenaftalin

A harrowing true story of the life that was forced onto a victim of violent physical and child sexual abuse in grassroots Scottish football. From being an innocent 13-year-old boy with a dream, to play football, to an aging pensioner, how his experience as a child remained a major, negative influence on his life for nearly 60 years before he took back the power from his abuser.A story of his roller-coaster existence and his eventual determination to achieve justice for himself and countless other silent survivors, and face the individual who cast a shadow over his life and for those who enabled his crimes in a Court of Law. That individual is thrice convicted Celtic Boys Club paedophile James Torbett. The alleged enablers are the world-famous Celtic Football Club.A story to encourage others, who have experienced a similar fate, to come forward and take back the power that was taken from them as children.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

John sits down with Scottish artist, producer and DJ Josh Mainnie, better known as Barry Can't Swim, and producer O' Flynn to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘Loner'. Josh first began releasing under the alias Barry Can't Swim in 2019, releasing a stream of singles that began attracting attention for their melodic, dance-driven style. In 2023, he released his first full-length album, ‘When Will We Land?', which became a huge success, earning him nominations for the Mercury Prize and at the BRIT Awards. ‘Loner' released in July 2025, sees him reflect on his newfound fame and place in the industry, whilst maintaining his signature high energy beats and captivating soundscapes. Sitting down with Josh, and later with collaborator O'Flynn, the conversation dives into the album-making process. They explore Josh's sampling techniques, the ideal mindset and headspace for creating great music, and the stories behind capturing sounds from unexpected places, like the toilets of an Indian restaurant, and turning them into tracks. Tracks discussed: Still Riding, Wandering Mt. Moon, Kimpton TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. LANDR  Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Loner' here ‘Ninja Tune' LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES   linktr.ee/tapenotes  Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI  GEAR MENTIONS Oek Sound Soothe 2 Cable Guys Snap Back XLN Audio Life Plugin Slate & Ash Cycles Slate & Ash Auras Arturia Mini V Arturia Beatstep Pro Arturia Prophet Xfer Serum Synth Spectrasonics Keyscape Double Felt Valhalla Plugins  Make Noise Morphogene Korg Kaoss Pad Prophet Synth Korg MS-20 Korg M1 Splice Ableton Prehistoric VHS (Wavetable Preset) Ableton Granulator Ableton EQ Ableton Plugins Ableton Logic Pro X OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on:  Instagram: @tapenotes  Twitter: @tapenotes  Facebook: @tapenotespodcast   YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear!  Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

Welcome to the Scottish Watches Podcast episode 691! In this episode, we bring together the worlds of horology and horsepower with Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire and Wes Kwok... The post Scottish Watches Podcast #691 : The Smoking Tire's Matt Farah and Wes from NODUS Talk Watches, Cars and Collabs appeared first on Scottish Watches.

This week we examine the tragic murder of Elizabeth Campbell in 1932 in Glasgow, and the investigation that led to the arrest of two young men. The episode also looks at the trial, including witness testimonies and the public petition for clemency, and brings to life the complexities of the case, providing listeners with a compelling insight of a lesser-known Scottish murder.SOURCES:Please see our website for all source material and photos at scottishmurders.com/episodes/elizabethcampbellBritish Newspaper Archives Affiliate LinkSHOW:Support Us:Patreon - patreon.com/scottishmurdersKo-fi - ko-fi.com/scottishmurdersMerch - teepublic.com/user/scottishmurdersWebsite - scottishmurders.comTwitter - @scottishmurdersInstagram - @scottishmurderspodcastFacebook - facebook.com/scottishmurdursYouTube - @ScottishMurdersLinktree - linktr.ee/scottishmurdersCREDITS:Scottish Murders is a production of CluarantonnHosted by Dawn YoungResearched, Written and Edited by Dawn YoungProduction Company Name by Granny RobertsonMUSIC:ES_Tudor - Bonnie Grace - epidemicsound

From the moment Mary, Queen of Scots set foot on English soil in 1568 until her execution at Fotheringhay Castle on 8 February 1587, she was the prisoner of her cousin, Elizabeth I. Unlike Mary's time on the Scottish throne, the dramatic events of these years – almost half her life – took place while she was a captive. But while trouble was perpetually simmering beyond her prison walls, within them Mary was constantly plotting. Only towards the end did she lose faith in returning to her homeland as rightful ruler. Exile: The Captive Years of Mary, Queen of Scots (Birlinn, 2025) by Rosemary Goring is the story of Mary's tumultuous later years, told through the many atmospheric locations where she was confined. Drawing on the latest research, including a treasure trove of recently decoded letters, Exile sheds fascinating new light on her captivity and the charged political climate of the period. Reading like a 16th-century thriller, this account of treachery, deceit, hope and despair is a penetrating and enthralling psychological portrait of one of history's endlessly fascinating queens. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Monday morning, the 14th of July, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the 1 Thessalonians 5:17. The Lord says to you and I, “pray without ceasing.” In other words, pray in every situation you find yourself in, and the confirmation of that one is found in the Book of James 5:16:”The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Effective, fervent - that's praying with sincerity, urgency, commitment and faith, avails much. Oswald Chambers was a Scottish preacher who wrote a book, (well his wife actually did it after he died. He died at 43 years old and his wife, Biddy Chambers took down all the messages that he ever preached and then she made books out of them). This particular book must be one of the most famous devotionals of all time, and in that book, he says, “Prayer is not a preparation for work, it is work.” Isn't that profound? So we don't pray as a preparation. No, we pray because it's part of what Christians do. He says prayer is not a preparation for the battle, it is the battle! He says prayer is two-fold - definite asking and definite waiting to receive.I want to say to you today, we need to pray continually and we need to believe in what we are praying. It does take some work. It takes time everyday for you to sit aside. Get on your knees, whatever position you find comfortable, and talk to God. “Oh but I can't.” You can! Some of us are just too lazy to do it.I want to tell you something. When I listen to a preacher, I can hear what his prayer life is like. I can pick it up in two minutes, and then I can hear others, like James Hudson Taylor. They said when he prayed, everybody came to a standstill because he was talking directly to his God who he knew so very well. Today, start praying effectively. Start praying without ceasing and remember, it's work and there is a reward for that work, which comes directly from the throne of Heaven.Jesus bless you and have a wonderful prayer day, Goodbye

With all due respect to the Dick's Open and the ISCO Championship, Andy's Event of the Week, this episode was recorded immediately following the Scottish Open due to Brendan's recurring air travel cancellations. Chris Gotterup outdueled Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark, and the clock at the Renaissance Club to capture the Scottish Open title, the biggest win of his career to date. Andy and Brendan discuss Gotterup's continued development as a player and his battle against the shot clock on Sunday before mentioning strong performances from Rory, Scottie Scheffler, and Marco Penge in Scotland. The two then touch on the Evian Championship which ended in a playoff win for Grace Kim after perhaps the greatest closing stretch to a major in history. Andy and Brendan analyze this win in the greater context of the women's game and also note that Lottie Woad has earned enough points for an LPGA Tour card following this event. Lastly, Talor Gooch won LIV Andalucía despite a late charge from Jon Rahm, who believes he's currently hitting the ball better than he has at any point in the last two years. Rahm's comments lead to a bit of an Open power rankings discussion before Brendan wraps with some news coming out of Stefan Schauffele's latest interview. Watch our Open Championship preview LIVE on YouTube at 4 pm ET on Tuesday for continued coverage!

This week's topics include the Scottish Nostradamus (The Brahan Seer), more airline ghost stories, and the cult of William Branham.

The Open Championship! Most golf nuts' favorite golf-on-tv week of the year (Sincerest apologies to the third week in April). Matt and the Professor welcome a special guest, Ru MacDonald of Cruden Bay fame, to explore his insights on the cultural aspects of golf in Scotland, the impact of technology, and the importance of accessibility and sustainability in the sport. The discussion also highlights lesser-known golf courses (do we dare say hidden gems?), the influence of Americanism on Scottish golf, and the community aspect of the game that is still thriving in an era not so open. Plus some picks for the Champion Golfer of the Year. The episode concludes with reflections on balancing passion and profession in one's chosen career. NewClub > [https://www.newclub.golf](https://www.newclub.golf/) Titleist > [https://www.titleist.com](https://www.titleist.com/) Connect with Ru and Linksland > https://www.linksland.golf/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Reflections on Golf Engagement 02:41 Matt's Return to Competitive Golf 05:22 Independence Day and Anticipation for the Open Championship 08:15 Insights from Titleist Fitting Experience 11:01 Interview with Ru McDonald: Golf in Scotland 13:57 Bob McIntyre's Impact on Scottish Golf 16:33 The Art of Ball Flight Manipulation 19:21 Port Rush Preparations for the Open Championship 22:08 The Unique Experience of Attending The Open 25:18 Cultural Aspects of Golf in Scotland vs. America 29:56 The Accessibility of Golf in Scotland 31:26 American Influence on Scottish Golf 32:17 Balancing Tradition and Modernization 37:40 The Future of Golf in Scotland 40:21 The Passion for Golf Course Architecture 42:57 Hidden Gems in Scottish Golf 48:13 The 12-Hole Golf Movement 52:37 The Secret Sauce of DP World Tour Videos 57:21 Navigating a Career in Golf

In today's podcast, we're heading slightly beyond the Tudor world — north to Scotland — to uncover the story of a young queen who deserves far more recognition than she gets. On this day in 1486, Queen Margaret of Denmark, consort of James III of Scotland, died at just 30 years old. But her brief life left a permanent mark on British history. Because of Margaret, Orkney and Shetland became — and remained — part of Scotland. A forgotten dowry, a pledged territory, and a queen who quietly changed the map of the British Isles. But there's so much more to her than diplomacy.  Join me as I delve into the fascinating story of Margaret of Denmark — her Danish roots, her turbulent royal marriage, her influence on Scottish politics, and the tragic mystery of her early death. Had you heard of Margaret before? What do you think of her impact? Let me know in the comments below! And don't forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell for more history videos every week! #OnThisDay #MargaretOfDenmark #ScottishHistory #QueenMargaret #Orkney #Shetland #TudorEra #MedievalQueens #JamesIII #JamesIV #WomenInHistory #ClaireRidgway #AnneBoleynFiles

The long awaited return of the Scottish Memories podcast with a live event. Recorded at the Scottish Storytelling centre on the royal mile in Edinburgh Tony chats to Scottish broadcasting legends Ross King and Jay Crawford.If you enjoy the videos and want to support here is a few ways you canbuymeacoffee.com/clanbroonfordBroonford Merchandise available athttps://teespring.com/en-GB/stores/the-broonfordsIf you would like to support the channel our Patreon page is:https://www.patreon.com/thebroonfordsOur new Channel art was made byhttps://www.instagram.com/gannucciart/?hl=enTheme music created by Nick Cole-Hamilton, for more info visithttps://soundcloud.com/you-better-run-recordsFollow us on instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/clan_broonford/Follow on TikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@clanbroonford?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

This podcast contains explicit language and adult themes that may not be suitable for all listeners. In this episode of Here Comes The Guillotine, award winning Scottish comedians Frankie Boyle, Susie McCabe and Christopher Macarthur-Boyd answer your Mailbags...

From the moment Mary, Queen of Scots set foot on English soil in 1568 until her execution at Fotheringhay Castle on 8 February 1587, she was the prisoner of her cousin, Elizabeth I. Unlike Mary's time on the Scottish throne, the dramatic events of these years – almost half her life – took place while she was a captive. But while trouble was perpetually simmering beyond her prison walls, within them Mary was constantly plotting. Only towards the end did she lose faith in returning to her homeland as rightful ruler. Exile: The Captive Years of Mary, Queen of Scots (Birlinn, 2025) by Rosemary Goring is the story of Mary's tumultuous later years, told through the many atmospheric locations where she was confined. Drawing on the latest research, including a treasure trove of recently decoded letters, Exile sheds fascinating new light on her captivity and the charged political climate of the period. Reading like a 16th-century thriller, this account of treachery, deceit, hope and despair is a penetrating and enthralling psychological portrait of one of history's endlessly fascinating queens. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

On this day in 1995, at the height of the war in the former Yugoslavia, the Bosnian Serb army captured what was supposedly the UN "safe area" of Srebrenica. In the ensuing days, thousands of Bosnian Muslim women were raped. 8000 Muslim men and boys were murdered. It was Europe's worst massacre since the Second World War.Also in the programme: a Liberian historian on whether his fellow citizens should be outraged by President Trump's remarking on the Liberian leader's "excellent English"; and Scottish writer Irvine Welsh on his sequel to Trainspotting 30 years on from the publication of the original novel.(Photo: Bosnian Muslim women react as they stand amid grave stones of victims killed during the Srebrenica genocide, at the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial in Potocari, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 July 2025. Credit: Reuters/Amel Emric)

Welcome to episode 702. This week , we meet a young Scottish woman who inherits the duty of tending to an old stone shelter… and the ancient thing that dwells within.COMING UPGood Evening: 00:01:06[Trigger] F. W. Weatherstone's The Bothy in the Field as read by Stephanie Nemeth-Parker: 00:02:48TRIGGER WARNINGSThe Bothy in the Field contains scenes of Animal Death.PERTINENT LINKSSupport us on Patreon! Spread the darkness.Shop Tales to Terrify MerchOriginal Score by Nebulus EntertainmentNebulus on FacebookNebulus on InstagramSPECIAL THANKS TOAmanda CarrilloLestle BaxterOrion D. HegreSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/talestoterrify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we welcome Alison Milne onto the R2Kast!

John Niven is a Scottish author and screenwriter known for his darkly comic, satirical novels. Born in Ayrshire in 1966, he studied English Literature at the University of Glasgow before spending a decade in the music industry. This experience inspired his breakout novel, Kill Your Friends (2008), a biting satire of the late-1990s music business. The book earned widespread acclaim for its brutal honesty and sharp wit, and was later adapted into a film for which Niven co-wrote the screenplay. His other works include The Amateurs, The Second Coming, Straight White Male, and O Brother, showcasing his distinctive blend of humour, cynicism, and moral insight. In addition to novels, Niven has written for film and journalism, often exploring themes of fame, failure, and modern hypocrisy. Known for his outspoken political views, Niven remains a provocative and influential voice in contemporary British literature and culture.

What happens when monks, caffeine, and alcohol collide? Buckfast Tonic Wine has been called "wreck the hoose juice" for a reason, and we're here to find out why. From its bizarre monastic origins to its unholy connection to Scottish street crime, this stuff has serious lore.Matt, Jason, and Drew dig into the story behind Buckfast while getting way too excited about glass shards, caffeine-soaked riots, and whether this wine is technically… wine.#Buckfast #TonicWine #AlcoholLorehttps://www.youtube.com/@arsenicculturehttps://instagram.com/arsenicculturehttps://tiktok.com/@arsenicculturehttps://www.facebook.com/arsenicculture/https://x.com/arsenicculture

Welcome to the Scottish Watches Podcast episode 690! We kick off with the final chapter in Grubel Forsey's Balancier Contemporain, notable not just for its calibre but for its rare... The post Scottish Watches Podcast #690 : New Watches To Suit All Wrists and Pockets appeared first on Scottish Watches.

Will Doctor gives you the sharpest card for the Scottish Open -Discussing top 8 on odds board -1 t5, 2 t20, Top Scot -3 outrights (55/1, 70/1, 90/1) -Sleeper, 2 lineups, scoring, best bet For the latest on the world of golf, follow Doc on X @drmedia59 ⛳ Scottish Open Course: Renaissance Club, favorable prep for Open Championship with scoring dependent on wind and weather.

From the BBC World Service: England's biggest agricultural show has started, but away from the sheep shearing competitions and livestock judging, farmers are talking about international trade — and they're adamant about not giving ground in any future negotiations. Plus, the U.K. government is capping tax relief on farmland passed down through generations. And, we hear from a Scottish sheep farmer with more than 400,000 followers on YouTube about how merchandise tie-ins are supporting his business.

From the BBC World Service: England's biggest agricultural show has started, but away from the sheep shearing competitions and livestock judging, farmers are talking about international trade — and they're adamant about not giving ground in any future negotiations. Plus, the U.K. government is capping tax relief on farmland passed down through generations. And, we hear from a Scottish sheep farmer with more than 400,000 followers on YouTube about how merchandise tie-ins are supporting his business.

We're back on track this week talking the keys to the golf course, our favorite early outright leans, top 20s and golf as the best in the world head to the Renaissance Club for the Genesis Scottish Open. BUT FIRST...we spend 15 minutes talking Brian EFFING Campbell...who he is and isn't, Ryder Cup guarantees from DB that could get interesting, and why DB hates Brian Campbell. *TJ Ryder Cup 2025 Experience | https://eliteeventsandtickets.net/tour-junkies/ *Join our DISCORD w/ over 1000+ golf loving, DFS & Betting fans | https://discord.gg/tourjunkies *Join BET THE NUMBER with code “TJ” at checkout & leverage the most powerful golf handicapping analytics site on the internet | https://www.betthenumbergolf.com/ *Get elite betting content vetted and served just the way you like it on SoBet. Make sure you use referral code "TJ2025" at sign up to get 1st month at $1 | https://sobet.io/register?referral_code=TJ&promo=TJ2025 *Sign up for the “Chalk Bomb” emails for free that hit your inboxes every Tuesday & Wednesday | https://www.tourjunkies.com/chalkbomb/ Linktree for social follows & more | https://linktr.ee/tourjunkies Enjoy more free golf betting content on the Tour Junkies website! | https://www.tourjunkies.com Leave an honest iTunes Review. DB & Pat love reading all of these. It improves the show. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tour-junkies-pga-tour-betting-dfs/id1047779421 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0c50TtMGTMxYY88p3KQeIK?si=J5eCzz1kQJ-StbOtlub7Ig Enjoy more free golf betting content on the Tour Junkies website! https://www.tourjunkies.com