north

Surely the easiest option is to kill ALL the humans, thus ending Global Warming and letting the Earth live a nice peaceful life. Mankind appears to be the source of all these problems, and the answer is patently obvious. At least to the environmental movement.

Real time and motion!

Worth more dead than alive? Or at least they keep on earning after death. Rank Name Earnings ($mil) 1 Elvis Presley $37 2 Charles Schulz 28 3 John Lennon 20 4 Dale Earnhardt 20 5 Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel 19 6 George Harrison 17 7 J.R.R. Tolkien 12 8 Bob Marley 10 9 Jimi Hendrix 8 10 Tupac Shakur 7 11 Marilyn Monroe 7 12 Jerry Garcia 5 13 Robert Ludlum 5

Judge for yourself on the criteria of the Nolan Principles. I have no issue on the process or choice of selection for the new Chief Executive. I do have a major issue with one of his first decisions. The Seven Principles of Public Life Selflessness Holders of public office should take decisions solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. Integrity Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties. Objectivity In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit. Accountability Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office. Openness Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands. Honesty Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest. Leadership Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example. These principles apply to all aspects of public life. The Committee has set them out here for the benefit of all who serve the public in any way.

The first underage drinkers should have fallen over and the first arrests made then?

http://www.dalzell.org.uk/page2.html Check it out.

Surely more Councillors than Jonathan must realise that such an approach is completely inappropriate. What is the value of this particular contract and what do the Council's procurement rules say about how an appointment of that value should be made? Doesn't somebody monitor this sort of thing? There are plenty of eunuchs on the council that don't have the balls to stand up against anything that the "system" sends them. The never ending cycle of potential school closures; the Bressay bridge/tunnel fiasco; the single pay system; the abyssmal mess of grants, Mareel or the Charitable Trust are just a few examples. There appears to be a serious void in the elected and executive leadership, and it appears even more difficult to change it. This is not to say that there are not good, capable and well intentioned people there, but whether they understand their role and are prepared to stand up for what they know and believe to be right. They also need to stand up on behalf of the electorate that voted them in. This is really a completely unacceptable example of everything that is wrong with Government and the spending of public funds. If it goes uncorrected, then you know where your future lies, and you remain a key part of the direction it is headed if you are not prepared to do something about it. This never ending cycle of consultants and review after review, double-guessing decisions, backtracking and legal action is defining a system that does not work, does not represent the electorate of Shetland and wastes more money in determing the "right" actions to be taken than it benefits from making educated and informed decisions in a timely manner. At least Jonathan has the guts to stand up and be the lone voice that asks precisely what is going on here. This is the same role that Directors play in a corporate, or public body. This is not an autocratic dictatorship with a singular voice, this is a governmental body spending public money on one of the largest single capital investments that the SIC has ever made. Let's see some action here!

Time for a change of leadership at the top. It will be easy to select a replacement from the shortlist that was just created for the position. Jonathan Wills is absolutely correct. This is an outrageous decision, and puts into doubt the candidate selected for the position. Nick Reiter all over again.

Call it whatever you want, this is simply another means of taxing everbody. You will get additional tax on every product and service you use, seeing as the public sector is such a bad producer, you'll see it in your rates and in every service. Maybe once they have got everyone in the 90%+ tax bracket and we all have to work for the Government, then they will quit, beacause they will simply run out of revenue generators. This is the ultimate display of Government madness. There is too much bloody Government anyway today, with layer upon layer of ineffective micro-management because they have run out of productive things to do Firms brace for looming carbon bill By Kabir Chibber Business reporter, BBC News Retailers are by far the largest polluters and could face the highest bills Carbon trading is all the rage now. The European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has been around since 2005 and accounts for most of the carbon dioxide (CO2) allowances issued to businesses in the world. In the US, President Barack Obama has also thrown his weight behind a cap-and-trade scheme. But few realise the UK will soon adopt a carbon trading scheme of its own in less than two years - the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) that was announced back in 2007. And carbon consultancy IMServ believes that up to 6,000 businesses in the UK will be liable to join the mandatory scheme. UK scheme Businesses are facing huge bills if they remain unprepared. Datamonitor estimates that UK businesses could face a £1.4bn bill for the carbon credits they need by April 2011, when the CRC permits are first sold. If the finance director of a company has to write cheques for carbon allowances, they're going to start asking why those costs are so high Henry Garthwaite, Carbon Trust The CRC scheme will begin next April when the large businesses and public sector organisations, including the NHS and state schools, begin monitoring their emissions and reporting them to the government. A league table of the participants will be published by October 2011 showing the targets, reductions in emissions and so on. Based on volumes of electricity and gas emissions, retail businesses will be hit the hardest with over 30% of total CO2 emissions, according to Datamonitor. The next largest polluters are manufacturers, at 15%, followed by the public sector. "We're seeing a far greater awareness of the CRC within the business community, but organisations need to start budgeting for these allowances and formulating their carbon strategies now, particularly in light of the recession," Datamonitor's Jon Lane said. "Those that sit on their hands and complain will end up paying more in the long term." Cutting bills Several businesses gathered at a carbon and energy summit on Thursday at the Royal Society of Arts in London to discuss how best to deal with the carbon trading scheme. The UK wants to reduce CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050 A power cut meant much of the event was held in darkness. One presenter quipped this at least meant that event had a smaller carbon footprint. Much of the talk was about how the government's scheme was an opportunity for businesses to reduce their CO2 emissions now ahead of the CRC. "There's a significant upside to helping to reduce climate change," said Henry Garthwaite, a business development manager at the Carbon Trust, a government-sponsored agency that helps businesses lower their footprint. It also helped develop the CRC scheme. "If the finance director of a company has to write cheques for carbon allowances, they're going to start asking why those costs are so high." Mr Garthwaite said that one business the Carbon Trust had worked with had saved £1m a year off its energy bill just by switching off the screensavers on the computers in their offices. It was these sort of seemingly small gestures, rather than complete overhauls, that were suggested to make companies more energy efficient, lowering their fuel costs and their eventual CRC bill. That includes installing smart meters, which show exactly how much gas and electricity is being used. "You can't do anything in terms of reducing your footprint of you don't know what it is," Mr Garthwaite said. The government already plans to put one in every home by 2020. 'Some difficulties' Some in the press have labelled the CRC scheme as another stealth tax on businesses. But few at the conference were keen to do the same. "It is essentially a very good piece of legislation," said Donna Young, head of climate change at telecoms giant BT. "It just has some difficulties." For example, it calculates your allowance based purely on electricity and gas bills in the UK, not taking into account other items such as car fleets or its international businesses. This leads to filing reports separately for each scheme, such as the UK and the EU's ETS scheme, and the obvious problem of a company possibly being penalised for the same carbon footprint twice. There are also the issue of how useful the scheme will be when it actually happens. Unlike the EU scheme, the participants to carbon trading in the UK can set their own targets and their certify their carbon emissions themselves, rather than the third-party verification that is done on the Continent. But surprisingly, there was little grumbling about the CRC scheme itself. It seems most businesses are happy to accept that they will be a critical part of fighting climate change. And there is rare unity among the world's politicians that carbon trading is the way to do it.

I guess it'll be pony for tea! Instead of buiding special trams, they could just use the Galley each year until they burn it. The tram will be pretty quiet in January anyway, and the tourists would love it!

If it was underground, it could link into the Bressay tunnel. In fact just keep drilling and include tunnels to all the islands - that way everyone gets a fair crack at the money. They could have stops at every pub and all the SIC locations. It could even go to Tingwall to accomodate the non-driving fraternity. Maybe this isn't such a bad idea after all.

From a letter to the Shetland News; http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/June%202009/letters_06_2009/Planet%20Earth%20likes%20vegans.htm More paranoia. I'm a meat eating 4x4 driver! My days must be numbered.

Maybe they can put big windmills on them to power them, or maybe teams of 10 ponies! What next? Every time you think you have heard the most astonishingly stupid idea ever, they come up with a new one!

This is based on the same accounting methods that the Windfarm, Global Warming and most SIC projects are based upon.

Let's face, you might as well just end it all today - the end is nigh! 'Stop eating lamb and drinking beer if you want to save the planet' Eating less lamb and drinking fewer pints of beer will help save the planet, according to a Government adviser. By Chris Irvine Last Updated: 2:33PM BST 24 May 2009 Diners are being encouraged to eat more pork and chicken instead, as they produce fewer carbon emissions. A Government-sponsored study into greenhouse gases has found that producing 2.2lbs of lamb was the equivalent of releasing 37lbs of carbon dioxide. Related Articles - Paranoia Special Fish oils reduce greenhouse emissions from 'flatulent cows' Climate change 'leading the world into catastrophe' Ben Fogle: Country Diary Melting permafrost could trigger 'unstoppable' climate change Gadgets ?killing the planet?, warns energy watchdog Power plants could store carbon dioxide under North SeaOther foods such as tomatoes only produce 20lbs of CO2 while potatoes release about 1lb of CO2 for each 2.2lbs of food. Lamb produces so much carbon dioxide because sheep belch so much methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas. Cows are also damaging, releasing the equivalent of 35lbs of CO2 per 2.2lbs. Previous studies have shown that a herd of 200 cows can produce annual emissions of methane - roughly equivalent to driving a family car more than 100,000 miles on more than four gallons of petrol. The study also found that alcoholic drinks contribute significantly to emissions, with the growing and processing of hops and malt into beer and whisky producing 1.5 per cent of Britain's greenhouse gases. "Changing our lifestyles, including our diets, is going to be one of the crucial elements in cutting carbon emissions," said David Kennedy, chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change. Mr Kennedy, who says he has stopped eating doner kebabs because they contain lamb, added: "We are not saying that everyone should become vegetarian or give up drinking but moving towards less carbon intensive foods will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve health." The climate committee is analysing emissions from farming and is set to suggest measures to reduce them. The Carbon Trust, a government-funded firm, is working with food and drink companies to calculate the "carbon footprints" of products. Britain is committed to cutting greenhouse gases by 80 per cent by 2050. More than a third of all methane emissions in the country is produced by farm animals. By volume, methane is 20 times more powerful at trapping solar energy than carbon dioxide.

The Steaks are really excellent in Argentina and the lamb is pretty damn good as well! I think there are individual farms here that are larger than Shetland and have more sheep and cattle! It's a BIG country. The Argentinian wines are superb and incredibly inexpensive, as is all dining; and there is a world class selction of restaurants. Best beef ribs I ever had were in South Africa and they even sold draft Ruddles and Speckled Hen! New Orleans is an interesting city. Some very interesting places to visit around the area if you have the time and inclination and are prepared to drive a bit. Great food and a very interesting life-style in Louisiana, it is is a very different place. Best oysters you will ever eat, if you like raw oysters!

Digging in the ebb for crabs. Swimming, swimming and swimming - from Easter until it got too dark after getting off the schoolbus. Diving and snorkelling. Playing in boats and punts. Making rafts. Catching sillocks, piltocks and spearing flukes. Chasing cattle and sheep. Lambing. Riding bikes, jumping over things with bikes. Driving anything we could get a key for, or get started! Snogging. Reading. Pretending to race every broken down car we could get in. Smoking. Drinking beer. Chasing girls. Teenage discos. Eela PU's. Beach BBQ's. Motorbikes. Racing tractors. Off roading with Land rovers. Shooting everything in sight with air-guns, rifles and shotguns. Climbing cliffs. Walking. Exploring. Listening to Radio Luxemberg. Parties. Fighting with the ant-hill mob. Hostel dances. Hostel girls. Dancing. 45's. Snaring rabbits. Using whippets. Making huge kites and being chased by the airport firemen. Riding bikes up and down the runways. Playing golf. Kicking footballs at the planes on final approach as they passed over the school! Boys Brigade. Sunday school football league. Awful bus trips. Going to Lerwich being a BIG adventure. The Gulberwick short-cut. Killing rats. Shooting black-backs. Working creels. Walking the banks. Big wood salvage. Playing with dogs. Provoking ponies to run. Cutting, hauling and stacking peats. Collecting cards. Collecting old ammunition and other WW2 scraps. Catching benties. Entire days in the summer at the beach. Long summer nights. Troots. Cutting the grass for pocket money. Picking tatties. Singling neeps. Camping. 500. Whist and beetle drives. Rarely watched TV. Listened to the radio all the time (still do), and read continuously (less now). Great life.

So what is a baby piltock called?

Whit wid a sillock be caaed noo - Peerie Colin? Why they need a "French" name, I know not. They could have as easily called it something romantic like Tirval, or Ertie and had much more success! 'Unpopular' pollack gets new name The stores will call pollack "Colin" - the French word for hake A supermarket has renamed a white fish caught in UK waters with a French name, Colin, because shoppers are not buying it under its British identity. Sainsbury's is trying to push sales of pollack as a more sustainable alternative to cod, but says shoppers are not buying it. Some stores will now stock it in new packaging designed by Wayne Hemingway, and inspired by artist Jackson Pollock. And it will be called "Colin" - the French word for hake. Pollack is far more popular in France, which is one of the biggest customers for UK fish, than it is here. Sainbury's says sales of cod increase by nearly a third during Easter weekend. In March, cod outstripped sales of pollack by 52,904 to 3,947. But haddock was even more popular than cod, with 98,722 units sold. Alison Austin, environment manager at Sainsbury's, says if British consumers bought more pollack it could make a big difference to cod stocks. "There are other species to eat other than cod and haddock, which are just as tasty, and often cheaper. Many people have said they even can't tell the difference in taste between cod or pollack." COD v POLLACK £331m of cod was sold in the UK from February 2008-2009 £59m of pollack was sold in the UK from February 2008-2009 Cod biomass in the North Sea was 250,000 tonnes in 1970 By 2007 North Sea cod biomass had fallen to 37,000 tonnes North Sea cod biomass rose to 50,000 tonnes in 2008 No assessment of pollack stocks is currently undertaken Sources: Seafish and the Marine Conservation Society The move has been welcomed by the Marine Conservation Society which rates the sustainability of fish species in its Good Fish Guide. Fisheries policy officer, Melissa Pritchard, said: "If it encourages consumers to try pollack then it can only be a good thing, as long as it is sustainably sourced." 'Not the easiest name' The seafood industry body, Seafish, has expressed doubt about the initiative. It says consumers can continue to eat cod with confidence, adding that 92% of the cod eaten in the UK is imported from sustainable stocks, much of it from Iceland. Seafish market analyst Lorna Jack is also unsure whether the name change will work. "Less attractive names may deter consumers from purchasing fish, however, we will be interested to see if this change of name increases sales of pollack since 'Colin' is perhaps not the easiest replacement name," she said. Sainsbury's will launch the Jackson Pollock inspired packaging in 10 stores Despite Sainsbury's suggestion that consumers should enjoy 'Colin and chips' at home this Friday, it seems unlikely to become a chip shop staple. The National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) expects cod to remain the most popular choice for its members and the public. Bill Crook, the NFFF general secretary, said most fish and chip shops use sustainable Icelandic cod which is frozen at sea. With more Icelandic fishing boats marketing their cod in the UK to escape the financial crisis at home, supplies of cheap cod are plentiful, he added.

Chris sold cheap crap and found a market. The other retailers in Shetland sell expensive crap and wonder why their revenues fell! I wonder if it has recovered with him gone, or everyone buys quality at fair prices on the Internet, catalogues, etc?

Put it to the test. Call an election! Then everyone can stop polling and speculating and just get on with it.

I have never been able to understand the interest in televised F1 racing - the real thing is incredible however. It is a bit like watching darts; but even more boring. Or snooker; which has to be the most boring televised sport ever created...

I think this is a great idea. They could build it in the new dry dock they want to buy. They could build a runway on top of the vessel to allow airsic to fly in and out of all the islands on the way, thus saving lots of travel time and expense for those living in outlying areas. They could build a school within the boat, thus allowing the closure of those irritating outlying schools, then fly the pupils home for the weekends from the runway on top! Maybe even build the new Anderson High inside it? They could build any number of collossal wind generators on outriggers on the side. They could then electric motors to power the boat and charge the batteries. Any excess power could be dumped into the National Grid when they get to Aberdeen. The SAR helicopter could be based on board, saving considerable time in the event of a call out. In fact, they could do offshore resupply with a helicopter as they are passing the rigs - the passengers could just get on and off in Aberdeen! And this is just in the first few minutes of thinking about the options!

I notice there are NO speed cameras on Forvik. These may support RtP's arguments!

A bit like you with Global Warming - the new religion!