evian2

are ASDA coming to Shetland? As they sell EVERYTHING 24/7 I'd say a doomsday scenario for all local businesses becons.

Hello, Was wondering if any ex-pats are planning anything down here in Edinburgh for Up Helly Aa in a couple of weeks? I have always heard of a Edinburgh version of Up Helly Aa, but never particpated at it. Anyone have any information? Could get a bunch of guizers and get the torches, march down princess street!

Got this CD at the weekend - I think they're great. Any other Panic! fans ?

Ha ha Aly! Yes, it was some party was'nt it? I ended up at another one in West Pilton not long after that - madness... It was pretty trashed when I turned up (at the posh dublin street party) Some size of house!!!! proibably a million quid I'd bet. Oh how the other half live!

No ones not supportive of Shetland Music getting exposed - as half my former band are from Shetland, that would be ridiculous. Although I havent heard theo ne about playing 4/5 gigs and getting in for free..will have to look into that. Hyper- if your filling the place, you must be doing well, as often a midweek gig, bands won't have more than 10 people there, thats been my experience playing and watching. Paying to play: I know all about that having played QMU in glasgow, in Edinburgh you simply dont get paid if theres not enough people there, and there are quite a few venues who insist on you selling tickets: henrys cellar bar, cabaret voltaire for example. Bannermanns is a fine rock venue, for up coming bands - but getting the locals out is another matter (unless your established)

Sick and tired at work Feverish and coughing, employees show up at work with the flu and colds, potentially exposing colleagues. Sometimes, they don't have much of a choice. By Stephen Smith | December 19, 2005 There's one in every office, factory or school: The colleague who slumps in the neighboring cubicle hacking and sniffling and wheezing, a mound of tissues rising like a viral mountain range. Go home, already, you think to yourself. Instead, your colleague slogs through the day as the fog of flu or a cold rolls in, enveloping the workplace. There's even a name now for the phenomenon: presenteeism. It's when people who should be absent from work or school -- because they're contagious or feeling so lousy they can't do their jobs -- aren't. ''Presenteeism may be a more significant issue than absenteeism, and that's a pretty bold statement, I realize," said Roslyn Stone, chief operating officer at Corporate Wellness, a provider of health services to upward of 1,000 employers. ''There are more people who come to work sick than call in sick on certain days, and that's pretty shocking." And with the specter of a global flu epidemic hovering, that's more alarming than ever. Just two weeks ago, federal health authorities intensified their campaign to help workers and their bosses figure out when they should stay at home rather than coming into work, imperiling their own health, getting little work done, and spreading their germs. But the realities of the modern workplace make this much more than a simple matter of personal responsibility. Millions of US employees don't get paid if they take a sick day. And millions more now have all their time off -- vacation days, personal days, sick days -- lumped into a single pot, meaning the more sick days they take, the fewer vacation days they'll get. ''People say, 'I'm not feeling great, but I've got to get in, other people are depending on me,' " said Walter Stewart, an epidemiologist who has extensively studied workplace health issues for Geisinger Health System, an operator of hospitals and medical practices in Pennsylvania. ''But by going in," he said, ''you may be doing harm to yourself and to others." That exacts a cost from employers and employees alike. Stewart surveyed 29,000 workers, asking how their health affected their jobs. His findings: Health problems, from cancer diagnoses to backaches to the flu, result in $225 billion in lost work time annually in the United States. And most of that -- 71 percent -- can be traced to workers who showed up feeling punk, largely because of respiratory and gastrointestinal bugs. Just ask Stone of Corporate Wellness. One afternoon last week, the phone rang in her Mount Kisco, N.Y., office -- and rang again. Two companies, same problem. At an Atlanta firm, a worker had come down with a stomach virus and stayed home from work for a day. ''But then the worker came back to work the next day," Stone said. ''Magically, three days later, five or six co-workers developed the identical symptoms."

I recently stopped playing with the rock band I was in, for different reasons, but Edinburgh lethargic music scene was def one of them. For over a year we trudged about Edinburgh, no money, limited gig potential- bannermanns pay the sound man first, then if anything is left over you might get £15 between the band. Generally, I feel bands are treated like c*** in Edinburgh. There are so many bands on the go (counted over 80 on the bannermanns poster), that promoters and venues feel they can get away with anything - not getting paid is one issue. Venues are a problem in Edinburgh. There is one or two venues, but nowhere that people can go and catch new band, without paying over the odds, or when its just wallpaper entertainment. There used to be a bar - the stones bar - I think, where local bands hada real voice to get heard - that became a nightclub...you get the picture. Shetland has a unique standpoint in that money, interest and time is put into developing local music - thats far from the case in a big city like Edinburgh.

Mr Scruff - thats a good one, I have a couple of his albums. I sometimes think New Year is best spent at home, or at a house party of some kind, theres always a lot of pressure to "have a great time" always ends up being 11.45pm and nobody still knows where to go!!

I have to back up the points made by Atomic. Its all to easy to point the finger at religion, particuarly christianity. Cheers E

a pair of bolt cutters...

I'm actually in a similar boat - toying with the idea of going back, in fact had a job interview even. The only major differences are weekends, and travel costs. Through the week in edinburgh is the same as lerwick IMO! and you need ££££ to do anything.

Why are we all so PC around here? I work for a large council where your not allowed to say "christmas" in case it offends someone. If this is helping the life of a child then surely it is a good thing, bible or no bible. Why does everything have to become a political debate. Perhaps billy graham and his team DO have good motives, and are not trying to ram any messages onto anyone. Did anyone consider that?

quite fiddly those £1 trolley things. Especially ar ASDA.

( ** Mod Edit ** - DarkStarIII had "Edinburgh - moving back to shetland" as her Location tag prompting the below question. This branch of conversation has been split from the original thread regarding Sharks to allow people to comment on "Moving from or to Shetland" ** ) Hi Darkstar, moving back to Shetland? quite a few edinburgh based ex-pats down here.

Like WOW, Champ Man has similar addictive qualities. I could be tied for hours to a game.