north

I have to agree that any portion of this that cuts the pay of the lower paid workers is unacceptable. This would be equally unacceptable in the private sector. One of the basic principles of successful management is the equitable and fair treatment of your employees if you want to succeed. If you do not treat your employees fairly - and many of these employees are not in a position to leave their jobs and livelihoods - then you bear the risk of dealing with a dissatisfied and disenchanted workforce, that will more than compensate for their lost earnings in lost performance or service. Maybe the majority of the problems that the SIC customers (taxpayers) perceive, start with the management treatment of the employees rather than the standard of service or motivation of the employees themselves. No wonder they have labour issues! Employees are the life blood of any organisation and can make or break it. They are a reflection of the style and motivation of the individuals and management culture that the leadership creates and develops. Too many of these disasterous money losing schemes and political battles start from within the upper management levels of the SIC that it is becoming more and more obvious to me that the failures lie deep within the structure and culture of the SIC and the Council itself. In business, if a business fails to perform, you don't look to replacing the employees, you look to replacing the management. The management hired the employees, motivate and direct the employees and are responsible for their production and performance. They are equally responsible for their failure. The buck actually does stop with them! I think I am starting to clearly understand where many of the problems of the SIC originate from.

Maybe someone could set the record straight then?

I propose building a bridge to Papa Stour, relocating all the Bressay residents who want a bridge over there, and moving the SIC there, in it's entirety. I will be standing for election in May - anyone gonna vote for me?

I was wondering if our own good Trout qualifies as organic?

They came for free, now you have to pay to get them to leave. There is some truth in the old observation, that you get what you pay for!

You should be charged with wasting your own time, if that is all you can find to entertain yourself! I'm sure they all turn out sober on Monday morning, no matter what state they go in over the weekend. I can just see you telling the Sheriff that you were prancing about with a bottle of Buckfast filled with lemonade - hell, you might even get jail time for that! 8O 8O

I would hope the LPA would follow the lead of the SIC and issue a bye-law with the same intent! As that is as unlikely as my grice becoming airborne, maybe the LPA will organise a legitimate area where drunken, neddish behaviour can be the norm? Maybe they might legitimise drug dealing and use in the same area, so the rest of the world can get back to normal.

Surely it boils down to the combination of drinking and unacceptable behaviour? I certainly enjoy a good PU on occasion, and even may have crossed the realm of acceptability myself on on the odd occasion, but it was hardly a regular event and certainly didn't involve harrassing the general public or destroying other peoples property. If people drinking on the street can't control themselves, whether it being generally obnoxious and irritating, pi55ing in the lanes and anywhere else convenient, mugging and beating people up or smashing windows - then the best place for them is somewhere where those basic civilities might be better enforced, eg: a bar or house somewhere else. Until the behavioural aspect is brought under control, then maybe it is time to ban drinking on the street? I, and perhaps others, certainly won't miss a bunch of swearing, cursing drunks, shouting obscenities at one another across the street as they fall around. Just read the Times every week, it is full of people behaving "out of character", blaming it on alcohol and having no recollection of the events surrounding the circumstances. Not one word of personal responsibility or recognition that the lack of control belongs to the individual involved. Until some semblance of order and balance is restored, this may be what is required. A generation is growing up believing this is normal and acceptable behaviour. Is it? Much of this behaviour has been going on for decades, like smashing shop windows, but the general acceptability of falling around turders and drinking in the streets was typically the domain of a couple of well known individuals who starred in the Times, week after week! Now it seems to be the norm for a much larger portion of the community. Is Drunk and Incapable the summation of a good night out? Forget Chris Hodge, this has as much to do with people avoiding the town centre as any cheap shopping opportunity.

I think they are all as bad as each other. There are a number of highly capable and motivated individuals that stand as councillors, but there are also a number that are neither capable, talented, nor able to comprehend the detail of the decisions they are being asked to determine. The exact same thing goes for all the SIC employees. Their is no accountability for the collosal mistakes, errors, or poor decisions they make. As in any democratic process, the option of those being represented by the actions of the council, is to vote them out of office. The difficulty for voters, may be in the quality of the candidate, or the potential unkown outcome of selecting the option. The most recent fiascos concerning the Bressay Bridge and Chris Hodge (from a vast choice of options here) should be grounds for every single councillor being sacked, and then made to pay back the financial resources that they have wasted in this mother of all pi55ing matches! It is a complete embarrasment - and is a demonstration of how far out of control the entire system is. Discipline, Accountability and Consequence is what lacks in this organisation.

Heimdal, that is a pretty interesting poster, as the only name I ever heard the North Star called when I was a kid, was the "Pictur hoose", and that was from a generation who would well recall what was showing in 1933! In the interests of all things Norske, how about; Avbildningen Huset Nord Stjernen Sløseri av pengene or perhaps best of all; Shetland flytter bilde kino og underholdningen knutepunktet

Why no ca' hit, "Da Picter Hoose". Fur dat is da only name dat will ever be used. Tourists can think it is quaint and something to do with with Picts. Maybe it can double up as a pictish dwelling durig the summer?

The kindest thing humans can do for horses is to eat them. Look at them. Standing out there in all kinds of weather, soaked to the skin. Eating that never ending bland diet of hay or grass. Having to suffer from standing in the vicinity of their huge and smelly crap. Like sheep. The kindest outcome is for humans to eat them at the earliest possible time!

The worst low level hum I can mind, was fae Heogan! Sometimes it became a forking unbelievable hum! 8O

My sincere apologies to the moderators for my inadvertent breach of the T&C of the board. It was not my intent to break them, nor for you to have to take the time to bring them into line - sorry. You are also correct that Mr Mair was not convicted for inflicting the injuries in this horrifying assault - simply enabling it, by interfering with the authorities and individuals who intervened to save an innocent life. In some ways this way be an even more henious action in itself. Once again, a standard lame apology is issued, and yet again, the entire blame is shifted to alcohol! At what point do individuals take responsibility for the fact that only they are responsible for the amount of alcohol they consume. Their own inability to control their consumption of alcohol, and their consequent mitigation of their actions by blaming it on alcohol, is simply a cop-out and denial of the true problem. I can't understand why these violent thugs are not forced to undergo alcohol awareness and violence counselling, in similar manner to drunk drivers? JustMe is correct that repentance should be a consideration in my judgement. I would entirely agree, but I rarely see or hear true remorse from these individuals - certainly not publicly. If it were to occur, it would certainly sway my opinion of the individual. Judgement for sinners entering heaven is outwith my control or influence, and only time will tell on that one. I do believe in forgiveness - I practice it everyday in my life, and others have offered me the same benefit through my entire life. I certainly hope that the punishment delivered here is matched for the other parties that did inflict the injuries. It should see them go away for a very, very long time.

Just to make sure that this first pathetic loser who has now been found guilty is noted for posterity on this thread. Mr Mair, I truly hope that you are forever ostracised by the Shetland community for the grevious injury you have inflicted on this innocent individual. I hope it is a cross you will have to bear for every last day you are on Earth, that will cause you no end of grief in every aspect of your life and work. Quite how anyone could work or associate with you, I will never be able to understand. You should suffer that punishment until your dying day. I hope that the justice system is equally accomodating to the others accused in this disgusting crime, and that we fully recognise their day of justice when it arrives. I hope that you are thoroughly ashamed of your actions and that shame will forever follow you through life. (** MOD EDIT ** Please note T&C: Have removed enlarged sections of text and quoted where the article originated. In the interests of fairness, it must be noted that Mr Mair was not convicted of causing actual injury to the victim)

Ah, the ultimate comment on the entire affair - Sheep! Well that convinces me then. Good on you, JA. But be careful of what any of them sheep might say! I have seen little bunches of them looking entirely conspiratorial all over Shetland!!! 8O

Hot Air would have to be an equal contender! If they hooked up the heatwise scheme to the toon-hall, they could heat every home in Shetland, and still have enough to export to the mainland. The UN considers the SIC to be the pre-eminent source of greenhouse gases in Northern Europe! 8O

http://www.sumodesign.co.uk/m_shetland.html I can just see you in those t-shirts on page 10!

The concept of branding is to provide easy and rapid product identification. As a result, typically logos or brands will be placed in the location where they will most easily be identified - where the eye goes first - typically top left hand corner, but top right may also appropriate. If a screen or publication expands to more than the page in view, then the logo needs to be placed on each page and in each link. There is no problem putting it at the bottom of the page, but it will need to be at the top as well on the first one. The purpose and goal of branding is immediate, automatic, recognition. The Visit Shetland website is very nicely done, but they need to break out the columns so there is not a lot of empty space on the left of the screen. Blank space attracts no-one. And maybe put the logo in its rightful place if it is truly to be the brand.

The problem with all these half baked ideas that generate from within the myriad of agencies funded from Council money, is they are never held accountable for their output or the success (or lack thereof) of the projects they undertake. There is no specified end user identified and they appear to rarely (if ever) consult the people who most likely might use it - in other words, there is no plan. The concept of a common branded image is an excellent and well proven one. It is an important and highly effective means of identifying anything. The difficulty in creating a brand, is in ensuring it represents the interests of the people who are going to USE it. Not the people designing or commissioning it, but the stakeholders, the real end users. These projects seem to come and go with little, if any, concept of how to take the project from creation into practical real world application - it is more of an academic concept and exercise. I think a lot of this can be firmly placed on a lack of commercial sense and experience. The only people who benefit from these great plans, are the companies that cater to the Government agencies that form their customer base - and those companies clearly recognise the commercial opportunities - and also that their customers are accountable to no-one regarding expense, cost over-run or defined success upon completion. I think this comes back to a topic that repeats itself consistently on this forum - that many people (specifically within the Council) suffer from a lack of belief in the ability of Shetlanders to produce world class products from within its own ranks. I did just check out the Visit Shetland website to look at the logo, as I couldn't recall ever seeing used. At the bottom, right hand corner (after much scrolling) is the logo that professes "Shetland Pride of Place". Maybe there isn't much pride or belief in it after all? http://www.visitshetland.com/

http://www.shetlandtoday.co.uk/Shetlandtimes/content_details.asp?ContentID=20648 It might appear to some that there is much more to this than meets the eye? Not good.

I am a non-smoker. I used to smoke regularly and do still enjoy a smoke every now and then, fags or cigars. I was always able to stop without effort, whenever I felt like it and sometimes was a steady smoker for years, only to give it up for years. My health is better from non smoking, my fitness and stamina levels are dramatically improved since I stopped. Smoking and drinking combined always seemed to lead to an excess of both! And I [b]LOVE[/b] the ban on smoking in public places. I was first exposed to it maybe 6 years ago and it seemed so strange then. Since then, the improved atmosphere in a pub or restaurant due to the lack of smoke is indescribable. I have no desire to see tobacco banned, but it has no place in any public shared, air-space. Two years from now, no-one will recall what it was like to smoke in a bar.

If you had refused his request, what do they do next? Get a warrant? 8O Or do the TV Licence Police SWAT team roll up?

I have also been thrown out of the Sumburgh Hotel! 8O It is the only bar I have ever been thrown out of in my entire life, anywhere in the world! Banned for 6 months by Gary after he bought me a pint when I was in celebrating my 18th birthday. It slowly dawned on him that I had been a regular customer for a while prior to that evening!!! Ah, but then there was always the Portapub!

More likely "truth-seekers"! Or maybe the fact it's early on Friday or Saturday morning in Shetland on has something to do with it. Can you say asleep at the wheel? http://www.theknowledgezones.co.uk/board/images/smilies/new/beerchug.gif