david_jam

*delete*

*delete*

*delete*

On the guitar front, a Tanglewood TW55 DLX. Its a lovely thing. Not played a guitar i personally prefer more at the price range it falls in. However... once the student days are behind me and some money rolls in, i'll enjoy the shopping/playing around for another (after the Steinway is safely installed! )

From my thinking, this is true. On a theoretical level, only by sourcing the reasons, conditions, circumstances that lead to crime will any meaningful reduction in crime occur. Which is a massive social issue. Too many people with vested interests in order to address these issues, so we are left with coming up with measures of 'cracking down' on crime which often do little but encourage further, increased crime, as the divide (between 'criminals world' and 'non-criminal world') but only widens. But the police have a duty to protect public interests (as regards to protection from crime) as a whole, in the here and now. Which breeds the drive with such measures. Which only contributes to the downward cycle. If I ever fine the 'answer' (via my 'comparative criminal procedure' honours course) i'll let da whole world know. Morbidly, thats very unlikely, due to the intrinsic nature of us human. how sad. Humans and their modern society

And we could completely ignore having to comply with down south if we regulated ourselves, which is more of a possibility than many give it credit for! Oh and the reason why the police crack down on motorists, is because they have increased powers to stop and search your vehicle than they do with regards to your personal self on the street. They are more likely to find an offence in relation to your vehicle, due to these increased powers with regards to vehicles (i guess because vehicles could be described as a 'weapon in your hands'). Thus, they can set about meeting conviction standards which are set by the UK Government... of course, all very artificially (in a sense). I think we could police ourselves much more sensibly. The Criminal Justice Procedure in Britain isn't all that great!

I think you've hit the nail on the head, Trout. and you know what could drive such... if shetland was no longer just a pimple on da muckle sphincter o da UK, where folk lack ambition because of influence outside their control. It does not breed forward thinking or initiative. Once you have the community empowered, that drives ambition, forward thinking, and results in better exploitation of its potential. You've maybe guessed where i'm coming from with my thinking. It makes sense to me. We can all have our dreams.

One more... Don Ross, another Canadian

Some guitarists that I like... Erik Mongrain... tapping, but its quite some tapping http://youtube.com/watch?v=AxdOq-wifUc Justin King... Tony McManus... not my favourite song of his

I've watched in awe twice when he's been up at the Folk Festival. It's the fact he can play just about any stringed instrument to an equally unbelievable standard... especially more annoying when you are of a musical nature yourself! Oh yeah, and then he opens his mouth and sings and you think "god damn, he's an excellent singer too"... at which point, you just hold your hands up and say... "too good, too good", and listen. As guitarists go... you can't look far beyond Tony McManus, but just personal opinion.

Crystal methalotmoreletters is being upgraded to Class A i do believe... whatever real significance that has. I might be wrong, but think I saw it in passing on the BBC News website.

The SIC... i have to try to laugh, otherwise I would indeed be crying. but then, i'm not sure how amusing i should find their general levels of incompetence... considering the role they play. I could write my dissertation on them, the problems (on a array of levels), their 'politics', their incompetency... i'd rather not, with little chance of change, I can spend my time thinking about better things! They get away with so much rubbish, that when somebody finally calls them up on something (the EC being pretty much the only body that can), the toys come flying out the pram in all directions at fatalistic speeds. They certainly amuse and bemuse. Shetland could be so very different... (get your legal books out and put your legal cap on and have a think! *coughcoughdependencycoughcough*) There there poor peerie council, have mrs dolly back.

impatience...? *bemused look* Impatience...? My god it takes so long to type a reply... see, i'm still typing, still writing it. *clicks submit*... "COME ON... load up, load up, load up, load up, load up, load up, load up..." *fingers tapping furiously* load up, load up, load up,". "Why don't we have broadband yet... this takes forever, i want broadband, i want broadband now" *fingers continue to tap into grooves on desk*. "Wow... those grooves fit the tips of my fingers perfectly... whats the chances of that?" me impatient? well not that i've noticed... david

A ramble?... no no brother, a fine speech. Petition/flyering campaign sounds like a grand idea to keep things going... if only i wis doon in Edinburgh tae gee dee a hand, alas Shetland bound.