KimyReizeger

I agree with Rathen in saying I'd be less inclined to vote tactically under AV and would likely put a small party as my 1st preference with a main party as my 2nd preference. As I understand it, this is a step towards a system of proportional representation.

The advert for the 'No' campaign was embarrassing and insulting too. 'laaake, If am in tha bettin' shop, an a put a bet on a horse which cums last, ah win? dat ain't right!' (or something to that effect).

Make stuff that other people don't and serve it until a later time and you're onto a winner! If you served fresh/toasted sandwich's and paninis until late evening then you would beat most other places that serve that food. Vegan food would be ace as well.

Duncan Bannatyne: "So what have you got that others haven't; why should I invest in you?

John W: Cheese and onion toasties...IN THE EVENING!

YouTube - Chunk! No, captain Chunk! - In Friends We Trust

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My word....

for 8 weeks, giles and various others played more chilled out music across a broad spectrum of styles. i can never say i've been to a bar in aberdeen and watched a dj play decent reggae songs for an hour or two in my 'social lifetime' though for example. just about any other major city would probably have several nights for this sort of thing.

Your idea reminds me of The Bassment on Byers Road. Every weekend they used to have a DJ playing awesome music of a reggae / hip-hop / funk sort. It was all pretty low-key, in that you could still hold a conversation, but it wasn't like they were playing 'background music' - people were there to enjoy listening. Used to love that place and it was always packed.

I know I put "music" in the title, but I don't mean quite so much influence to be put on the music side of things. I wouldn't be expecting an acoustic artist to pull a crowd or anything like that. It would just be a nice thing to do now and again to have someone actually playing some songs fairly quietly in the corner whilst folk sat with their bottled ale or coffee or whatever.

The 9 to 5 crowd would really just be for take-away I reckon. It would probably only open for coffees first thing, couple of hours at lunch and then from about 6pm-11pm or something in the evening.

Just ideas...

Cheers!

Sounds like a fairly standard coffee shop. Do you think you could compete with Starbucks, Nero, Delibites, the music hall, Greggs?

Maybe your 'angle' could be a dynamic and innovative approach to music. You could use your networking skills to have regular nights with good musicians. Beans coffee shop used to have jazz every weekend with decent musicians like Simon Gall et al, though I'm not sure how successful it was in the long run.

Ultimately, good musicians will want to play to a crowd and not just the owner and three mates. Promoting music, I believe, is an arduous task.

In theory I would always like the idea of an independent cafe in my area. However, I would think that Kilau has nailed the market in cosy, 'alternative' coffee shops in Aberdeen. Otherwise I can't imagine the daytime, nine-to-five crowd being particularly interested in shoegaze music over lunch, particularly given their inherent preference for branded coffee outlets. To capture them you'd need to offer something truly different and innovative in terms of food and drink.

Musically,how many acoustic performers in Aberdeen draw crowds? Few, in my experience.

Without saying it's not possible, I think it would be very expensive to get right given the amount of competition around. Has anyone else noticed 'Sunshine Cafe' on George Street or 'Ruby Cafe' on King Street?

I saw this in a newspaper and thought it was really good. Two boys in the Gorbals.

This is one of my favourites that I have taken:

Thanks for the advice. I will look into these places.

The max I'd spend I suppose would be around 1000. However, if the right guitar came along I just don't know what I'd do on the day!

I was in RnB on the weekend and tried a whole bunch, none of which really tickled me. At the moment I play a nylon string with a K&K pickup that I put in myself. The problem is that it doesn't transmit very well on stage. So I want a guitar that sounds great amplified. Just not sure whether to move over to steel string or not.

I remember playing a 600 Yamaha nylon string in Celtic Chords which pretty much remains my benchmark at the moment.

The country and western music stall in Aberdeen Indoor Market is an amazing specialist shop. Just wish they had one for metal

Just a shame the whole market around it smells of boiled vegetables and drool.

I suppose, to further the argument a little, banning prisoners from voting acts as a very poor deterrent as few prisoners are of the mindset to exercise voting rights anyway (and therefore wouldn't necessarily view the loss of voting rights as a very tough punishment). Why then do we have such an issue with allowing prisoners to vote? They are part of society and this is a democracy.

I can't think of a single reason why letting the people we deem 'unsafe' to be a part of our society help decide who is in charge of said society is anything other than a horrendously stupid fucking idea.

xx

Voting / political involvement could play a part in the rehabilitation of an offender - they could be encouraged to 'join in'.

Does anyone have any knowledge of acoustic guitar outlets in this country? Any recommendations? Wide selection and specialisation being the key here - I'm looking for a high quality electro-acoustic.

Nice to see some tries at least. Scotland did well to come back into it after very early blows and a frighteningly effective French scrum.

in a country without the private sector in health or education, governments would finally be forced to spend the money they should have been spending all along on these sectors. ?

This country has poured money into education.

Perhaps one reason we lag behind in international tables is the devalued role of the scoolteacher - talented people are put off going into teaching by the low entry requirements.

Really we should look to writers, philosophers and so forth for moral guidance in the secular age. Someone like Alan Moore (as mentioned in the comic book thread) presents valuable moral lessons and tools for life, as do, for example, Solzhenitsyn, Dickens and Orwell.

Hunter Stockton Thompson.

Well, it's a little better than Jeremy Kyle anyway.

Where do you look for moral guidance?

I wasn't sure if your previous comment was intended sarcastically or not, it can be hard to tell in text since there is no tone behind it.

By "infrastructure upon which to base their moral choices" it comes back to fear again. You know the old saying "I'm just a god fearing person...", have you ever though about exactly what that means?

As for respect and ceremonies, have you ever heard of disfellowship or ex-communication? If you happen to be gay, smoke, get drunk,gamble or have a blood transfusion (even if you're in an accident and are unconscious) this is grounds for disfellowship. Most of these things aren't even mentioned in the watchtower. What kind of respect is that for a person? When they make a choice to smoke and are cast out? Imagine how harmful that could be for a person who still believes the watchtower doctrine, with disfellowship comes condemnation to everlasting destruction.

With ceremonies I was really referring to things like funerals, weddings, baptisms and christmas.

By 'infrastructure...' I mean that religions have the apparatus upon which to reflect upon life in a deep and comprehensive fashion. Secular life perhaps lacks something comparable.

We could go down the route of saying just how much respect do "all humans deserve" too I suppose.

I mean, did Saddam Hussein deserve the same respect as Ghandi?

I'm not saying that JW's are saddam's or ghandi's. Just asking who set's th benchmark of this "global respect"?

I'm sorry that my remark came across as overly pious. I had the idea that you had been finding some value speaking with these people. I also intended to link this notion with a broader idea that believers are often more attuned to ethical issues / general debate than the average non-believer. I too have had really good conversations with believers, who frequently have more developed and considered opinions on a range of subjects than many non-believers. This doesn't account for the substance of their arguments, merely that they possess a stance.

The point you make, 'who sets the benchmark for global respect' is really apt and I think that believers have a greater infrastructure upon which to base moral choices or life decisions. They have leaders to teach them and fellow believers to consult. Their holy books contain moral guidance and valuable life support. Their traditions and ceremonies seem to contain a real reverence and respect for life itself. Where do non-believers obtain a similar service? At what point are non-believers encouraged to think deeply about life? There are few places more suited to contemplation than a church.

I enjoyed talking to them in the way I enjoy telling my girlfriends 5 year old that cows say woof and dogs say moo and watching him trying to figure out what the fuck is going on.

Nice that you invited them into your home and gave them the respect all humans deserve.

Just a Minute is good. Pre-dates and excels over the dearth of godawful panel shows currently out there.

There are aspects of religion which are hugely positive:

Moderate religion encourages people to consider their actions and pertain towards a moral life. Perhaps the reason that Zeromisery enjoys speaking with Jehova Witnesses is because they represent an arena in which ethical issues can be discussed, an arena sometimes lacking in secular life (or perhaps hidden behind ivory towers).

I think KarmaTsunami may have touched upon something similar in saying that she 'could' find something - something meaningful - in religion. Where in modern life would a deepness of meaning comparable to that expressed in the bible be found? In money? Television? A new car?

'From Hell' is beautiful.

rl]

Cool, just got it in the post today

I was really disappointed at the film version of 'V'. As it turns out, Alan Moore had no input into it and takes no royalties from any films made from his comics.

Will Eisner and Joe Sacco are great for anyone who struggles with the superhero side of comics.

V for Vendetta and Watchmen may be worth a look. The films really don't do them any justice whatsoever, particularly the V for Vendetta one, which is really, really bad.

What I want know is how "anonymous" it actually is. .

If it's a legitimate protest, why are you worried about anonymity?