Tammychoink

It's funny, 'spoons doon da road has a reputation akin to Lidl's  - cheap and full of chavs buying 'beige food'!

However, the ones I've been into have an amazing selection of drinks and, as converted banks and the like, they usually look pretty good inside and out. I reckon any Wetherspoons in the country would be way better than our pubs. Don't get me wrong - I've had some great times in every bar in Lerwick, and some of the staff are quite pleasant. Sometimes.  However, in terms of venue quality, prices, facilities and general atmosphere all of Lerwicks pubs have been extremely sub-par for decades. 

Good stuff - We've applied for insulation help with Heatwise, but there's surely a 6 month backlog. Would like to change our heating solution in the meantime. A lot of folk have mentioned quantum night storage heaters, but they are a few grand a pop and we've got quote a few to replace. Really interested in this Air 2 Air stuff - anybody using it?

We're house has been brally cauld this winter, an da bills are astronomical!

Thinking of changing wir heating system. On da storage heaters at the moment, but they're ancient and needing to be replaced.  

I've been thinking aboot oil, but I hear getting the heaters and pipes in would be costly. Some folk are even talking aboot gas, bu that's the same issue really, although I hear it's cheaper for gas than oil?

A hear a lot of folk have gone for this "air to air" set up, but my worry is the great white refrigeration-type units sitting outside the hoose  - how many shetland winters can they survive without failing?

Any thoughts experiences welcomed!

The ad says 'General Manager' for Shetland Arts - not a cinema manager for Mareel.

 

And £17k is abysmally low for a cinema manager. £22-30k is more realistic.

I know this. That's why I went on to discuss the other aspects of mareel. Same applies to Bonhoga etc - all of which to my mind would run happily along without the meddling of a "commercial driver, building sustainable income generation and growth within a dynamic social enterprise culture" (from the actual job description - Does anybody actually talk like this?)

Another well paid head-honcho is surplus to requirements.  Especially as the local authority can't even afford Meals on Wheels these days. 

Wake and smell the latte.   

Whilst perusing the Shetland Times job vacancies I was appalled to learn that Shetland Arts is currently looking  to employ two new chancers  - to the combined tune of £100,000. Unbelievable.

Seriously, WTF?

I genuinely like Mareel. The bar does a mean cocktail, the music venue is pretty good and I love the cinema. Anything that can be done to improve the place is surely a good thing, right?  Well, out of interest I googled how much a manager of a substantial cinema sooth would get. That’ll be £17000.

(http://isw.changeworknow.co.uk/cineworld/vms/e/cineworld/positions/dtzTkOK9ngYyi82AWGvBzT)

In case you're interested, these are his/her duties

“As an Operations Manager, you will use your existing experience to ensure the smooth running of the cinema. This diverse role will see you completing a number of operational duties such as budgetary management and administration. In addition to this, you will be highly visible providing a superior level of customer service and leading the team to deliver an unrivalled cinema experienceâ€

Ok, perhaps the job spec I quote doesn’t demand that you be a “placemaker†(as Mr Gibbons calls himself in his LinkedIn profile), but clearly the duties described would more than cover the cinema aspect of Mareel.

So what else? Well I’d of thought that any candidate for Shetland Arts would require a modicum of artistic talent. Apparently not according to the job spec.

There’s certainly no shortage of local promoters and musicians to ensure the music side of things would get taken care of.  The front of house has a fairly friendly plethora of young hipsters who seem reasonably competent.  The café/bar has it’s faults, but it tries and I doubt some £50k ‘enabler of stakeholders’ is gonna show them how to master the hi-tech art of clearing tables/serving coffee in a timely fashion.

So what benefit to Shetland would this recruitment drive offer? This is not a rhetorical question – someone please let me know!

The absurd dichotomy between rampant austerity measures, school closures (rightly or wrongly) vs the deplorable  self-serving conduct of a  locally detached cabal of luvies, brazenly feathering their nests and having the brass-neck to claim “it’s all in the name of art† is, to my mind, so utterly abhorrent that I can scarcely believe they get way with it.

Shetland is culturally rich, but this wealth was crated by local, grass-roots artists. People who performed off their own back in country halls and local dances. People who wrote poetry, or short stories then submitted them for publication in periodicals such as Shetland Life. People who would tread the boards at da Garrison by coming along to a drama group meeting and getting involved. People who were moved by the majesty of our islands that they felt compelled to put paint to canvas and express their appreciation.  Surely it is these folk who are the real Artists in our community – not yet more ego-driven pretentious idiots, building little exclusive empires and coining it in with OUR money.

Rant over.  

Roughly neck and neck, judging by the poll - although I concede that 18 votes is mibbie no an accurate sample of the Shetland population!

Funny how those in favour have yet to contribute to the discussion. I guess wir councillors figured out how to use the vote button...

http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2014/03/12/young-locals-blamed-for-town-speeding/

"Councillors have moved closer to introducing a 20mph speed limit in parts of Lerwick to help improve road safety and combat speeding drivers.

Elected members have opted to consult on whether the reduced limit should rolled out from the North Ness roundabout to the top of Church Road.

The agreement came after one member described the problem of speeding drivers as a “festering soreâ€.

Jonathan Wills said he had witnessed young drivers using their cars as “a form of mating displayâ€.

He said visitors, as well as locals, were at risk from motorists reaching speeds of up to 50mph or beyond – an estimation roads engineer Colin Gair said was not unreasonable.

Dr Wills told fellow members: “It is a notorious fact there is excessive speeding and extremely bad driving daily in this town centre.â€

He blamed young, local men for being the perpatrators behind the behaviour.

The cost of introducing the scheme is estimated to be between £100,000 and £150,000."

So folk are speeding at 50, even though the limit is 30. What exactly is the point in making it 20?  

Perhaps if the police would just enforce the 30 in the evenings then this wouldn't be an issue. Perhaps I lack patience, but the thought of driving around at 20mph does not appeal one bit. Daft, nanny-state nonsense. 

Sharn! Da sooner da young eens realise that they are being used by the powers that be in an transparent attempt to grab a vote the better. I mind all those politicians claiming to fans O' da Arttic Monkeys! Doesn't matter if you're  young, old  or a bored 30-something pretending to be and elderly curmudgeon on the internet - it's all a cynical ploy.  

Joost git more speed bumps. Turn da whole of Lerwick into the world's least exciting roller-coaster and be done with it. Mibbie throw in a few more multi-thousand pound round-abouts dat nobody kens how to use, and finally introduce a one way system all the way from the Town Hall to Sumburgh airport. Well, now that I've done the Roads & Transport blue-print for 2014, I'll have to go and fry up some saucermeat afore I get stuck into my report aboot closing the AHS and relocating the students to Skeld. 

http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2014/01/18/young-people-asked-for-their-views-on-future-of-the-isles/

Ok, this may prove somewhat controversial, but what's the point in this?

Why should the arbitrary 12-25 demographic's opinions be of any more interest or value than that of anyone else?

I really couldna  give twa pillticks what some shrill 12 year old swot has to say about the future of shetland. You've had your skate park and your massive pickter hoose, now begone until you're old enough to vote, by which time you'll have hopefully realised that your 'views' are utterly inconsequential.

*confiscates football from garden*