unlinkedstudent

It is if you combine your shopping trip with other 'town-specific' events like dentist appointments, banking, etc. I think most folk need to shop more than once a year.

According to BT Business Broadband, possibility of fault also at Sumburgh exchange and not just the subsea cable outage - apparently my line is flashing up several faults. Speed right now: 0.40mb as opposed to 'normal' 6.20mb ... and dropping with ping of 300 mid-afternoon to over 570 a couple of hours ago. It's fecked. Equivalent on microlink? Slow, slow, slow ... until it eventually fell over completely for 3-5 days so 'slightly' better. (:

I'm with Ghostie and agree with the points he made re neighbours - I've lost count as to how many have moved in/out over the last few years. Food for thought: Many local authority housing depts up and down the UK charge those tenants (and leaseholders) wanting access to a communal TV digital aerial. Couldn't the same be done with SIC Housing but for broadband?

You are on the wind up, right.....?!? I will admit taht I don;t know the financials of the deal, it could be that TalkTalk is more expensive that BT, but the service is better or any number of reaons... PO did not operate their network and still don't so I am guessing that less cost was the attraction to migrate thousands of customers from one network to another? Any chance of that in English? Who is providing the better service, BT or Talktalk? A quick Google reveals:- http://www.information-age.com/technology/mobile-and-networking/2105193/post-office-drops-bt-as-phone-and-broadband-partner

@ Ghostie - keep it clean, Dearest.

erm allegedly? Have you been present or is this a case of you've visited and heard from the older person that the carer 'didn't bother to do tasks X, Y and Z' ... only to discover at a later date that the carer had every intention to do tasks X, Y and Z but the older person instructed them not to. My example isn't abuse of the elderly. Social Services no doubt have a Vulnerable Adults Co-ordinator/dedicated Social Worker but in emergencies, you can contact the Duty Social Worker.

I go outside daily. I enjoy the scenery. I don't need others subsidising me to do so. I'm not arguing that more people should stay inside while the "damage" is repaired but given you've brought up "damage", have you considered how you get to some of the locations? Go by car and walk the rest of the way or get the bus? Some can't afford to eat, let alone own a car or even use the bus. Right to roam? Let's use the old (private?) track to get to at least one of the locations and if lots of people turn out, who picks up any rubbish if anyone is irresponsible to litter (hopefully not) or the wear and tear to said track - who repairs that then? We are fortunate to have nature on our doorstop and perhaps the fact it is so wild is one of the best things about it. Organised events can be offputting to some. The thousands donated by SNH with Scottish Government money from tax payers could have been spent elsewhere, especially when cuts are being made. Glad you enjoyed the concert - I'm not so selfish to have fun at the expense of others though when attending gigs ... or are you suggesting that I should be applying for a grant to go and see Aerosmith? After all, it would be good for my mental health, encourage good relationships with others across the pond, utilise transport links ... and you'd get me off Shetland for a couple of days.

Well, I messaged Emma today. She confirmed the size of the grant from SNH who, in turn, get their money from the Scottish Government. Now I suggested to her that she join this debate and I was honest with her regarding how I view this project and the use of public funds. I also asked if she would mind if I published her reply (specifically relating to the actual amount of grant received) but she didn't answer that point, but dialogue continued with her. I stick to what I believe in - I'd rather the SNH spent money repairing the damage mankind has done rather than encouraging more of us to get outdoors. And just how many organisations do we need to tell us what is good for our physical and mental health? Right, we got SNH, The Amenity Trust, the SIC, the NHS, who else? The more you ram something down people's throats, the less likely they are to take notice IMHO.

Just because somebody carries out an idiotic act it does not render the person carrying out such an act to be an idiot - subtle difference.

If this project wasn't a form of advertising, then why is it being partially funded (in kind) by Promote Shetland? According to this document, Promote Shetland are meant to promote the Shetland brand:- http://www.shetland.gov.uk/economic_development/documents/TheShetlandMarketingStrategy.pdf. I actually said "Fine, promote Shetland artists. Fine, promote Shetland musicians." But what is the Shetland brand? Is it something each of us reading this forum recognises and agrees with? 2,000 odd hits on a website running since November isn't a huge amount - now in comparison, the A-Z of Shetland was an absolute hit on youchoob and did an excellent job of promoting Shetland (uploaded on 24 September 2013, current number of hits/plays: 32,064) And a recap from the article referred to in the OP: "... ISLANDERS are being encouraged to brave the winter weather by taking to the great outdoors and making a “spontaneous creation†over the festive period. It is part of the Back from Beyond project, run by Alice Mullay and Emma Perring, which is aimed at encouraging people to draw artistic inspiration from visiting some of Shetland’s most scenic areas. ...Locations include Noss, Hermaness, Muckle Roe, Foula, Fair Isle, the South West Mainland, Eshaness and Fethaland." So whilst the press report refers to islanders, I'm taking it that the idea as a whole is aimed at those outside of the Shetland Isles too - or is it a case that we're promoting ourselves to ourselves and do we want to be promoted? How many people in total have contributed and sent in entries? Sorry, couldn't actually find that on the website but it would have been nice to see entrants as they were submitted; perhaps over the next few days they'll do this and show more online. I'm really not bothered if you think I'm being cynical. Lots of organisations, be they individuals or large companies, sponsor and/or participate in events because it does get their name out there and it does demonstrate their services/skills/products. In a nutshell, if people want to participate in such projects then that is their choice. If people want to organise such projects, that is their choice. Would they do so if grants weren't available from the various bodies outlined earlier?

@Davie P - the number of visitors to a website doesn't indicate how many people actually got outside and biodoodled.

Idiotic.

@ DavieP - I have no intention of supporting projects like this, ALLEGEDLY done in my name and in the name of "the community". They aren't. If you conducted a poll of most council tax payers (and income tax payers, for that matter), I doubt if you would like the results. People are starving according to recent press reports. So rather than do something 'community spirited' such as this 'project', I'd rather funds were directed elsewhere. Just because you didn't recognise the names on the website doesn't mean to say others won't recognise them. Whether you care to acknowledge it or not, it is a form of advertising. Mean spirited? Direct and forthright, more like. We're being told endlessly that the SIC can't afford this, the Scottish Government can't afford this, but this sort of thing can be afforded? Many of us don't need organised projects to get out and enjoy the scenery. We survived years ago without such nannyism and I'm sure we can survive again without them.

An oldie:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxsKkTFDKRQ

@ Davie P and SP - Resources cost. Even if they are using a building, there's still running costs of a building. And howzabout a bit of openness here? I've looked at the participants on that website. The majority, if not all, are established. Fine, promote Shetland artists. Fine, promote Shetland musicians. Or why can't they be like other Shetland businesses and be responsible for their own advertising? Where's the photographs from 'little David up on holiday from Leeds with his sandcastle and pebbles on a beach?' Oh look, a lot of paintings of familiar scenes. Were these painted in the last few hours? I think not. Ghostie and I are kicking ourselves for not utilising the rusty satellite dish left behind by previous tenants around here, place it amongst uncut grass down the road, whack on a few car tyres left due to no skips ... and enter it as "art". Hell, we could even write a poem about it. Do I want my income tax and council tax spent on such events? No, I don't. Do I mind such funds being spent on providing MP3 players for people in care homes? That I wouldn't mind.

Tell that to the pensioners who lost their lunch club location. Tell that to the many who have suffered through their botched decisions through their incompetence in Housing. With them interfering in public health, there IS a lot of suffering. How many psychiatrists do the SIC employ? How many experts in health matters do they employ? They can't even follow their own procedures and, if in doubt, certain departments have a habit of making it up as they go along. I don't have a problem with, for example, Environmental Health inspecting food premises ... but I'd be interested to hear, for example, how many people have reported noisy neighbours only to be told "Someone from Environmental Health will be in touch" and they never are. Some I have come across don't have the foggiest idea on matters concerning disability discrimination and, if anything, have such discrimination down to a fine art because all that matters is that they tick a box. Ask them to undertake their legal obligation for a reasonable adjustment because of a disability and they don't have a clue how to do it. So instead of indirectly funding schemes such as this one, the money would be better off being spent on educating staff within the SIC so that they do understand how their actions (or lack of) affect the lives of many. And just what did musicians do before the invention of Shetland Arts? Were there no gigs? Just look how many organisations there are in Shetland that do their own thing, regardless of the SA.

Are you saying we can't debate the idea at all? I took your advice and looked on their website, which states:- "The project, in 2013, has been funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, through their Community Grants Scheme and as part of the Year of Natural Scotland, with in-kind funding from Promote Shetland and the voluntary time of the musicians, poets and film-makers." http://www.backfrombeyond.org/about So, in answer to Colin's question, it would appear that we don't "pay" them per se but some funds (amount?) does appear to come from at least one organisation that we indirectly fund.

When's the next decorations maintenance cycle due on the barge? I mean, they might have some black and white paint going spare to combat the current 'negative traffic management' scenario.

That German translator should be sacked.

I do so hate the term "soft start"; I seem to remember somewhere else using it too. Does it basically mean that one hasn't got one's act together in time?

Some might if all they did was flog one item a year worth a fiver.

1. This ain't the mainland. 2. Some people don't buy into the commercialisation of Christmas. 3. Some people just don't do Christmas. Perhaps the original idea of helping the don't haves was okay but now it seems to consist of those with too much giving to those who have too much. So if your idea of the spirit of Christmas is that kids should have decorations at every turning, I respectfully suggest you think again. Not all establishments on the street are rolling in it. I'm sending out some cards. I'm getting two prezzies and that's via a local producer (you know who you are ) and that's it. In addition to the above, Christmas, these days, is turning into an excuse for some people to eat too much, drink far too much, make an ass of themselves, spend far too much and then complain in the New Year how skint they are. Bah humbug rules!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder

As in snowflake?

I think Ghostie has posted several times in this thread over the last 12 or so pages ... He's on Talktalk, I'm with BT. Same exchange. I was with TalkTalk in London and also BT in London - both were absolutely dire. Lerwick will get good speeds on most networks but you have TalkTalk outwith Lerwick and I'll be amazed if they are better than BT.