Smut in the Northern Isles
Posted: Thursday, 08 February 2007 |
[Posting censored]
Posted on Digital sands at 14:25
Keeping our wimmin here
Posted: Friday, 09 February 2007 |
There's a problem in the Western Isles with too many women disappearing off to other regions, and too many men either staying or moving in. Soon, there will be 15 men to every woman. Great for the wimmin but not so great for the men.
It's got to the point where the council are considering paying wimmin to stay. There's a .
What is to be done? How can we keep our wimmin here? How can we make the Western Isles a more attractive place for wimmin to move to? Should we tempt Scallowawife, Ruthodanort and Flying Cat here with promises of Viking smut and whatever else they require? Any answers, suggestions?
It's got to the point where the council are considering paying wimmin to stay. There's a .
What is to be done? How can we keep our wimmin here? How can we make the Western Isles a more attractive place for wimmin to move to? Should we tempt Scallowawife, Ruthodanort and Flying Cat here with promises of Viking smut and whatever else they require? Any answers, suggestions?
Posted on Digital sands at 10:43
The tunnel to the mainland
Posted: Tuesday, 20 February 2007 |
My letter to the Stornoway Gazette, replicated and including links:
+ + + + +
It was heartening to read of serious consideration for a mainland fixed-link in last week鈥檚 Stornoway Gazette. However, this was spoilt by reading in the mainland media of imagined costs being 鈥淲ell over 10 billion pounds鈥 [, ]. Probably some commentators, rather than research the issue, assumed the cost would be the same as the incompetently managed English Channel Tunnel. That infamous project consisted of two train tunnels, tracks, a service tunnel, and huge support infrastructure. It was marred by bi-nation politics and contractual problems, resulting in one of the worst cost overruns in engineering history.
The cost of a fixed-link mainland connection here should be very different - if it is built the 鈥淣orwegian way鈥. Norway has over 900 tunnels, carving through and under all manner of geology, of which 22 are subsea road tunnels. Using their methods, a tunnel from the Hebrides to the mainland could cost around 110 million pounds 鈥 just one percent of the cost of the Channel Tunnel!
Examine the L忙rdalstunnelen [, ] in Norway. This road tunnel, completed in 2000, is nearly 25 kilometres long. It was built with safety in mind, containing 15 turning bays, 48 lay-bys, ventilation, and several huge rest-caverns with different coloured lighting to break up the monotony of driving. Total project cost? Not 10 billion pounds, but 86 million pounds.
This level of cost is more the rule than the exception for sensibly planned long-distance tunnels. A recent Comhairle presentation gave similar costs for other Norwegian tunnels, such as the (5.6km for 拢44m), (5.3km for 拢31m) and Kristiansund (6km for 拢51m) road tunnels. These connect mainland Norway with islands containing a few thousand inhabitants each 鈥 sound familiar? Norwegian tunnels can also be deep; in the last few weeks, the 鈥渄ig鈥 stage of the road tunnel [] has been completed. This serves the island communities of Hareid, Her酶y, Sande and Ulstein, at its deepest point being 287 metres below sea level and 61 metres below the sea bed.
There鈥檚 an added bonus with digging a tunnel 鈥 it generates rock, which could either be used to build and strengthen much-needed coastal defences, or sold for revenue. As , there鈥檚 a keen demand for this commodity.
It is not surprising that progressive northern periphery countries, such as , , , and the , are turning more towards tunnels. Unlike the 鈥渓ast century technology鈥 of causeways and bridges, tunnels do not suffer the ravages of storms, exacerbate erosion, impede boat passage or interfere with tidal flows and fishing grounds. Islands connected by tunnels do not suffer food and supply shortages or disruption to businesses, when bad weather closes causeways, bridges and ferry services. And unless cryptozoologists discover an 鈥渦ndersea bird鈥, it is unlikely that the RSPB will be able to lodge a planning objection.
The next time you are crossing an exposed causeway in windy weather, your plane hits turbulence and suddenly drops with your stomach, or you revisit your fried breakfast over the side of a ferry on a heaving sea, think: wouldn鈥檛 you prefer to be driving through a smooth, quick, incident-free tunnel instead?
It has been a for the funding to repair causeways damaged in the January 2005 storm. Does anyone seriously believe that, when these same local causeways are again damaged by major storms, the Scottish Executive will repeatedly agree to the Comhairle鈥檚 cap-in-hand grovels for repair funding? Sooner rather than later, the response from Edinburgh will be to 鈥渇ix it yourself or go the same way as 鈥. In the long-term, tunnels, not fragile and exposed causeways and bridges, are the only robust, sustainable and future-proof way of connecting these islands to each other and to the mainland.
+ + + + +
More information
Outline of the Brei冒adalshei冒i 鈥 Botnshei冒i road tunnels in Iceland:
The Hvalfj枚rdur tunnel in Iceland. This went under a fjord and struck hot springs, but was still completed 8 months ahead of schedule:
The Nor冒oyatunnilin tunnel in the Faroe Islands:
International Tunnelling Assocation:
Norwegian Tunnelling Society:
Icelandic Tunnelling Society:
Community council in Orkney considers tunnel (point 6g):
Orkney fixed-link article in The Times:
+ + + + +
It was heartening to read of serious consideration for a mainland fixed-link in last week鈥檚 Stornoway Gazette. However, this was spoilt by reading in the mainland media of imagined costs being 鈥淲ell over 10 billion pounds鈥 [, ]. Probably some commentators, rather than research the issue, assumed the cost would be the same as the incompetently managed English Channel Tunnel. That infamous project consisted of two train tunnels, tracks, a service tunnel, and huge support infrastructure. It was marred by bi-nation politics and contractual problems, resulting in one of the worst cost overruns in engineering history.
The cost of a fixed-link mainland connection here should be very different - if it is built the 鈥淣orwegian way鈥. Norway has over 900 tunnels, carving through and under all manner of geology, of which 22 are subsea road tunnels. Using their methods, a tunnel from the Hebrides to the mainland could cost around 110 million pounds 鈥 just one percent of the cost of the Channel Tunnel!
Examine the L忙rdalstunnelen [, ] in Norway. This road tunnel, completed in 2000, is nearly 25 kilometres long. It was built with safety in mind, containing 15 turning bays, 48 lay-bys, ventilation, and several huge rest-caverns with different coloured lighting to break up the monotony of driving. Total project cost? Not 10 billion pounds, but 86 million pounds.
This level of cost is more the rule than the exception for sensibly planned long-distance tunnels. A recent Comhairle presentation gave similar costs for other Norwegian tunnels, such as the (5.6km for 拢44m), (5.3km for 拢31m) and Kristiansund (6km for 拢51m) road tunnels. These connect mainland Norway with islands containing a few thousand inhabitants each 鈥 sound familiar? Norwegian tunnels can also be deep; in the last few weeks, the 鈥渄ig鈥 stage of the road tunnel [] has been completed. This serves the island communities of Hareid, Her酶y, Sande and Ulstein, at its deepest point being 287 metres below sea level and 61 metres below the sea bed.
There鈥檚 an added bonus with digging a tunnel 鈥 it generates rock, which could either be used to build and strengthen much-needed coastal defences, or sold for revenue. As , there鈥檚 a keen demand for this commodity.
It is not surprising that progressive northern periphery countries, such as , , , and the , are turning more towards tunnels. Unlike the 鈥渓ast century technology鈥 of causeways and bridges, tunnels do not suffer the ravages of storms, exacerbate erosion, impede boat passage or interfere with tidal flows and fishing grounds. Islands connected by tunnels do not suffer food and supply shortages or disruption to businesses, when bad weather closes causeways, bridges and ferry services. And unless cryptozoologists discover an 鈥渦ndersea bird鈥, it is unlikely that the RSPB will be able to lodge a planning objection.
The next time you are crossing an exposed causeway in windy weather, your plane hits turbulence and suddenly drops with your stomach, or you revisit your fried breakfast over the side of a ferry on a heaving sea, think: wouldn鈥檛 you prefer to be driving through a smooth, quick, incident-free tunnel instead?
It has been a for the funding to repair causeways damaged in the January 2005 storm. Does anyone seriously believe that, when these same local causeways are again damaged by major storms, the Scottish Executive will repeatedly agree to the Comhairle鈥檚 cap-in-hand grovels for repair funding? Sooner rather than later, the response from Edinburgh will be to 鈥渇ix it yourself or go the same way as 鈥. In the long-term, tunnels, not fragile and exposed causeways and bridges, are the only robust, sustainable and future-proof way of connecting these islands to each other and to the mainland.
+ + + + +
More information
Outline of the Brei冒adalshei冒i 鈥 Botnshei冒i road tunnels in Iceland:
The Hvalfj枚rdur tunnel in Iceland. This went under a fjord and struck hot springs, but was still completed 8 months ahead of schedule:
The Nor冒oyatunnilin tunnel in the Faroe Islands:
International Tunnelling Assocation:
Norwegian Tunnelling Society:
Icelandic Tunnelling Society:
Community council in Orkney considers tunnel (point 6g):
Orkney fixed-link article in The Times:
Posted on Digital sands at 09:54
The other tunnel...
Posted: Thursday, 22 February 2007 |
The tunnel to the mainland isn't the only long tunnel possibility that's popped up in recent times. There is also the Sound of Harris fixed-link discussion.
In the meantime, I refer you to the consultancy report on the Sound of Harris fixed-link. Angus Nicolson has a link to the report from his blog:
It's a 130 page report. "Consideration" of a tunnel is relegated to 4 paragraphs on page 72. It said, in dismissive tones, about a tunnel:
"An initial assessment of the cost of tunnelling the 9.5km between Berneray and South Harris has indicated that it could be in the order of 拢100M/km. This figure is based on studies into similar schemes. Thus the overall cost would be approaching 拢1000M."
Suspecting this is utter cow poo, I asked several Norwegian tunnelling companies about how much it would cost for a tunnel to be dug in the Sound of Harris, as they do in Norway.
Unexpectedly, one of them replied with a detailed quote. I've gone to the press about this.
Between now and when it comes out on newsstands, have a guess at what the quoted cost was...
In the meantime, I refer you to the consultancy report on the Sound of Harris fixed-link. Angus Nicolson has a link to the report from his blog:
It's a 130 page report. "Consideration" of a tunnel is relegated to 4 paragraphs on page 72. It said, in dismissive tones, about a tunnel:
"An initial assessment of the cost of tunnelling the 9.5km between Berneray and South Harris has indicated that it could be in the order of 拢100M/km. This figure is based on studies into similar schemes. Thus the overall cost would be approaching 拢1000M."
Suspecting this is utter cow poo, I asked several Norwegian tunnelling companies about how much it would cost for a tunnel to be dug in the Sound of Harris, as they do in Norway.
Unexpectedly, one of them replied with a detailed quote. I've gone to the press about this.
Between now and when it comes out on newsstands, have a guess at what the quoted cost was...
Posted on Digital sands at 12:33
"Let them eat Guga"
Posted: Wednesday, 28 February 2007 |
Oh-uh; looks like the Comhairle may be from primary schools shortly.
What do you think the milk should be replaced with? What's a suitable nutritional substitute for kids in primary schools in the Outer Hebrides?
What do you think the milk should be replaced with? What's a suitable nutritional substitute for kids in primary schools in the Outer Hebrides?
Posted on Digital sands at 15:51
The stuff of dreams, nightmares, and inhaling too much smoke from a peat fire.
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