clanchief

I watched the programme and have to say that I didn't believe the most of it - they probably had the car airlifted by a helicopter for great chunks of the way - and the BBC say that they are no longer going to mislead viewers! The BBC have already admitted that the recent programme showing a caravan catching fire was a total set up. Here is a recent quote from the motoring press : "Top Gear is not a motoring programme. It is prime time burlesque and the cult of personalities that just happen to have cars as their hook. Three of the major manufacturers, and possibly several others for all I know, now refuse to co-operate with the programme or to supply it with cars. One PR manager said last month that the programme needs to grow up"

That'll be the old Arts Trust offices ? I hear that the "Bridges" project is located there. The project aims to work with young people who are classed as NEETS. ( Not In Employment Education or Training) There is a national campaign to engage with young people in this category because statistically they are the potential offenders/addicts/problem neighbours of the future.

Interesting full page article by Tom Shields in the Sports Pages of the Sunday Herald yesterday about the annual inter county / Milne Cup matches

According to the media the Automobile Association made £200m in profit but the company paid no tax because it paid £200m in interest on its borrowings - this situation is portrayed as being a scandal because city financiers are manipulating the tax system. But surely, the interest of £200m was paid to a bank/Trust/Private equity firm who will have their profit inflated by this amount and they will in due course have to pay the tax on the £200m ?

I heard that last week someone had painted a nice moustache on the "Mona Lisa" picture

I am surprised that there has been no comment here yet on the new eatery at the museum. I heard that it was packed out all weekend, I also heard the service was a bit disorganised - but no comments on the quality of food , value for money etc.

As if dyslexia wasn't enough, I now hear that there are problems such as "Visual Stress" and "Binocular Instability" that can cause students to switch off from engaging in school work. Apparently these conditions cause class work to be fraught, leading to behavioural problems. With all these issues around, its no wonder that teachers have a high level of stress!

Prof Julian Elliot of Durham Uni has been reported in some press reports as saying that dyslexia is no more than a handy fig-leaf for pushy middle class parents who are too embarressed to admit that their kid is a numpty. Apparently what he actually said was that the label is now applied so widely that it has become meaningless. A factor in this appears to be the ability of middle class parents to exploit what the state has to offer. If their child is lagging behind, they press for the child to be labelled as dyslexic when the symptoms are far from clear cut and this results in their children gaining access to more than their fair share of educational resources. I was amazed to learn that 10,000 pupils a year in Scotland now qualify for "special arrangements" for exams, including extra time, because they are diagnosed as having conditions such as dyslexia. Also 6,000 "declared dyslexics" now qualify for special support within the Scottish University system, The questions that we have to ask is whether some of these students are milking the system to compensate for their inability to meet set standards or do they (and their parents) basically have aspirations beyond their ability.

Interesting news item in papers today about what they called "Wind Farm Terrorists"who have demolished a piece of windfarm test equipment in Norfolk. The article goes on to speculate that there might be a growing trend for this sort of direct action in other parts of the country! I'm all in favour of getting "blacked up" and roaming the hills in the dark with a pair of bolt cutters!

Scottish Water within the last two weeks announced that they were changing the water purification system at the Sandy loch to Chloramination. In their advert they said that this new system would improve the water quality, however it could apparently kill the fish in your aquarium ! There have been many cases in the Mainland of Scotland of communities complaining about the taste of water once the supplier changed to a Chloramination system. Personally, I never drink tap water only bottled water or filtered water.

I would like to congratulate the Shetland Times on their great achievement in getting the full results of the Shetland elections in the paper on Friday morning. It must have taken some organisation to get the printing and delivery completed in time for the papers to be in the shop at 08.00.

Zetland of course refused to join with the Highlands & Islands ( & Orkney) in forming a larger transport partnership. So now we have our own partnership with our own manager, assistant manager and various admin staff. And of course having our own partnership means that Slim,Biggles Mitchell & the Manager can fly off to EC conferences to learn about "important things". Today we have another perverse example of Shetland going its own way in order to not save the tax payer money: Quote from Press & Journal - " Councils across the north could soon be working in partnership to deliver financial services. Highland, Argyll,Western isles,Orkney, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire & Moray councils have agreed to take part in a consultation exercise which could lead to a merger of staff who work in departments dealing with council tax,benefits and business rates............... could lead to cost savings of 20%" Once again, Shetland is missing when joint working and cost savings are going to be implemented.

If I remember correctly, its not so long ago that you were talking up Internet shopping and decrying local retailers. I think that you have now argued a good case for local retailers having to charge more ( than internet and/or south shops) because of the additional freight/postage costs that they have to meet.

I suspect Westminster would have serious trouble trying to hold on to Shetland if the islands demanded independence. I really cannot see them sending in the tanks over it. These days they would be hard pressed to find an excuse for saying no. You have all been reading Baron Ravenstone's new book about Carp !!

So farewell Drew Ratter - He must be sick that all the ducks didn't line up in time for him to claim the £20,000 leaving allowance!

The SIC publish an Annual (?) energy audit which details all forms of energy use in Shetland. They even used to include an estimate of peat in their calculations

Shetland Community Bike project is a small local charity that receives no SIC/Charitable Trust funding yet it still manages to provide a bike recycling and repair service. The project also provides training & 6 months waged work placements for up to 3 clients at a time recovering from alcohol or drug problems, the majority of these clients move on to find mainstream work. The project also provides theraputic work experience for clients with mental health problems. All of this from a pokey wee workshop in Peterson's Closs ( just off Commercial Street) The project previously provided bike safety training and subsidised safety gear to kids but due to the present work load, this service is no longer available. However, with bigger premises and more funding who knows ??

You will all have noted the SIC's plan to build a new abbattoir in Shetland at a cost of £2m+. This proposed development comes at a time when farm animal numbers are dwindling, basically due to the fact that crofters/farmers now get paid subsidy whether or not they have livestock. I hope that locally some alarm bells are now ringing after a report in Saturday's newspaper that the first new slaughterhouse to be built in Scotland for 25 years has gone out of business after only being officially opened by the Princess Royal in September 2006. The Linlithgow plant cost £4m to build and it processed pigs, lambs and cattle. If we assume that the Linlithgow plant had a higher catchment area for its services, but still failed spectacularly, then what hope in the current agricultural climate for the Shetland proposal?

This does seem strange, I would have thought that the weapon of choice would have been a cricket bat

Did anyone see Flintoff's apology on TV last night? He is seriously starting to remind me of Gazza in his prime. looking at his paunchy face, I really feel that the booze has got a grip of him

I don't have the paper here, but in the article, Sonny is quoted as saying that the buildings allocated to Blackwoods would be ideal for his business

The pull out is surely no surprise. It was pretty well telegraphed in an article in last weeks Shetland Times where Sonny Priest indicated that the building allocated to Blackwoods would make a fine premises for his Valhalla brewery business.

The recent C4 documentary "The Great Global Warming Swindle" made some very interesting points. It clearly questioned something now accepted as scientific fact by Governments, citizens and Councils alike , namely Global warming being the cause of rising sea levels and chaotic weather etc. The programme identified that many scientists think that this may have nothing to do with man-made carbon dioxide emissions. Which is behing the drive for windpower. The programme highlighted that historical swings in climate change had no link with carbon dioxide. These scientists believe that the answer to the problem of the world heating up is the Sun through increased sunspot activity etc. The programme explained that there are murky reasons why this theory doesn't get the attention it deserves. Basically, climate -change scientists have to eat. If they wan't funding, it makes sense to convince governments that there is a crisis round the corner, a man-made one, so that man feels that it is worthwhile chucking loads of money at the problem. So, which side of the arguement is telling the truth? Who do we believe?

At the end of the Up-Helly-AA season, there is a ritual shaving of beards. It just occurred to me that this could be a marketing opportunity. I can see it now : Touristy pack - photo of Viking- axe aloft - fire etc. - "this pack contains a lock of genuine Jarls Beard, with the authentic smell of parrafin, smoke, rum & beer" I think they would sell for aboot a fiver each!

Da eart haes never borne a weight sae sair Hard wid he be o hert at cood ging by A sight sae helpless in hits meesery; Dis croft noo does like a weet swab wear Da tumald o da mornin; sockin, bare, Grinds, crubs, gaets, middins, an runnicks lie Open apo da rigs, an below da sky, Aa dark and dreepin in da bitin air. Never saw I rain sae trooly steep We sic faerceness, infield rig an hill; Never hae I seen da mid-toon drains sae foo and deep. My Lord! Ta think wir twatree sheep Ir lek dis night tae smore apo da hill.