Old Susannah's Journal

Old Susannah's Journal - Scrapbook

Here's the 411 on Old Susannah - literally.  It's now 411 articles including Old Susannah columns that have been published on Aberdeen Voice.  It's quite a paper, it's quite a team, and it's quite an editor, Fred Wilkinson, who brings it all together.  If you're interested in finding out if I covered a particular topic, this might help.

May 2015 - For some reason the Trump organisation has been remarkably coy about its public consultation regarding the proposed second golf course at the Menie Estate, the 1900 'leisure units' and 850 homes it plans to build on the estate, forever changing the character of the area. Menie had two SSSIs, the highest level of environmental protection an area can get.  But then there was money to be made, and the protection removed - by Alex Salmond's government.  Getting this info was far from easy.  The legal notices were hidden in the back pages of the Evening Express - why no proud advertisements, which this organisation is happy to place normally?  The people in charge of the consultation made me - and several others - miss the deadlines that had been set.  WHAT TO DO:  see documents to the right of this text; write to Jamie.Hunter@cms-cmck.com and object to the plans, copying in me at sgvk27@aol.com.  What will your children and their children prefer you do - nothing, or object to this loss of greenbelt, which is permanent?  Cheers.

WELCOME

If you've found your way here from the Aberdeen Voice newspaper, FaceBook, wherever - welcome!  And if you haven't visited Aberdeen Voice, then the Voice can be found at www.aberdeenvoice.com  Making Aberdeen's Voice heard.  By the People; For the People.

 

Old Susannah's Dictionary Corner is an occasional, satirical column appearing in Aberdeen Voice. 

 Old Susannah's Scrap Book

I'll be saving some of my source material and working documents here, starting with a little chart showing who's on what in Aberdeen, just to show how transparent, open and honest and above board everything is. 

Get in touch.  Have a story?  Have a rumour?  email sgvk27@aol.com

 

 

 
 
Public Notices EE 0415.pdf Public Notices EE 0415.pdf
Size : 1662.128 Kb
Type : pdf
 

 

May 2016 - Aberdeen Voice is still here, and so is Old Susannah.  Perhaps you'd like links to a few recent satirical works ...

The Princess and the Pee (how Sarah Malone is pursuing a granny for allegedly answering a call of nature when at the Menie Estate
http://aberdeenvoice.com/2016/05/50989/


New columnist on the Block (a look at Donald Trump's exclusive column for his employee's husband's newspaper http://aberdeenvoice.com/2016/04/old-suz-special-new-columnist-block/





 

The Beautiful Princess Part I (an introduction to Sarah Malone and the Trump golf course at Balmedie)  http://aberdeenvoice.com/2013/06/old-susannah-no-123-the-beautiful-princess/


The Beautiful Princess Part II (further adventures of Malone-Bates)  http://aberdeenvoice.com/2015/08/old-susannah-no-180-the-beautiful-princess-part-ii/


Just go to www.aberdeenvoice.com and search for Trump, Malone, Bates, or whatever takes your fancy.  Hope you enjoy

April 2015 - Aberdeen Voice has published its 250th edition of independent, advertising-free news.  But on a sad note, Mr Bob Smith, who was a cornerstone of Aberdeen Voice, contributing fantastic Doric poetry has passed away.  RIP Mr Smith. 

 

Public Image?  A recent article covered the story of local photographers' work being offered by Aberdeen City to SHMU Media with no consent and no compensation.  A debate on Facebook and other relevant attachments are on the right

 

Aberdeen's City of Culture Bid - this was not exactly a strong submission in the Class of 2013 City of Culture candidates.  Compared to the powerful, reasonable, feasible, clear Dundee bid, the judges were rather kind to us.  Gigs  on Rigs?  One of the unusual, unworkable ideas Aberdeen's business and civil servants put forward (just don't mention the musical performance with ship's horns and, er, horses.  Read what the judges thought in the documents to the right.   Alas, at 18MB in size, Aberdeen's bid is too large to share on this page.

 

recent Old Susannah columns:-

http://aberdeenvoice.com/2013/09/old-susannah-133-stealing-special/ 

http://aberdeenvoice.com/2013/09/old-susannah-131-still-heart/ 

 

 

recent Aberdeen Voice articles;-

http://aberdeenvoice.com/2013/09/animal-related-crime-area-vigilance-required-help/

http://aberdeenvoice.com/2013/09/lies-damned-lies-trump-effect/ 

 

TIME TO VOTE OFF  THE WEAKEST LINK

The spread sheet on the right is a work in progress, attempting to keep track of our elected officials and especially how they voted on green issues.  If there are any errors, I will be happy to correct them if proof of error is submitted.  Please consider downloading and updating with voting results which are important to you.  Information on how councillors voted can be found on the City's website. Eventually.

 

Links:

 

 

http://oldsusannahsjournalchildrenschristmasartwork.yolasite.com/ - Artwork from Easter Anguston Farm, September 2012 and Aberdonain children’s artwork submitted to a competition in December 2011 – over 300 beautiful pieces of artwork across several powerpoint presentations

http://suzannekelly.yolasite.com/ - a report into Tullos Hill and plans to kill its deer; links to Forestry Commission soil reports showing why trees are very unlikely to make it on the hill, and documents detailing the whole sorry saga from first secretive beginnings

DEER CULL - VIDEO IS AT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP8qb4j32Qc AND MORE INFO FROM suzannekellytullosimageryhazardsandrockygroundvideo.yolasite.com on the state of Tullos Hill after the gorse was destroyed in early March 2012

How much has Aberdeen City Council been invoiced by Aberdeen  Chamber of Commerce for the City Garden Project?  Over £90,000!  The spreadsheet on the right will give you a breakdown of the invoices for public relations, catering, speakers and photos the taxpayer's money has gone on.  Did you know a photo was commissioned for £180 to show the gardens are 'inaccessible'?  This comes as news to Anne Begg and others with mobility issues; they access the gardens on the north side.

The PDF file 'Aberdeen City Square TIF invoices PWC (right) shows how much Aberdeen taxpayers have paid for PwC's advice on TIF.  Given that the people who briefed PwC and paid them were for the project, it raises a few issues.

 

Finally in the third document on the right we have the strange situation where ACSEF gets work done to further the City Garden Project, various people / companies carry it out, the Chamber of Commerce then invoices the City  Council for these services without listing who provided the work.  Why is this set up like this except to obscure who is involved?  Who got the work and how were they apointed?  Was there a tender process?  The Chamber refuses to comment because they are 'a private limited company' - how does a private limited company become the go-between between the quango ACSEF and the City Council?

 

 

Aberdeen City Council 25 January 2012 - my deputation speech notes (right) asking the City to stop committing taxpayer money and resources on the City Gardens Project until after the Referendum.  Councillors went ahead with supporting this project in advance of the referendum.  This included allocating up to £300,000 from City Council money for legal fees.

The Excel spreadsheet (left) lists your favourite Aberdeen Councillors, celebrities, multimillionaires, board members and other people, many of whom are dedicated to giving your children and their children  £140 million pound concrete ramps in Union Terrace Gardens. (one in a new version of Excel; the other is old school)

One of our City Councillors, John Stewart (coincidentally appearing on the above spreadsheet) has publically complained that Union Terrace Gardens are full of grass.  Here are some photos to illustrate how our gardens look now.  To see the lovely, thoughtful £140 million pound design proposed, see this BBC story:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-16573250  The picture will no doubt leave you  breathless (if not speechless)

These photos of mine show how Union Terrace Gardens looks today.  Then think about building a series of concrete ramps over it.  Do you agree with the City Gardens Project people that tourists and incomers will flock to Aberdeen if we build the ramps?  

 

Here are some of my other pages:   

http://menie-estate-report.yolasite.com/ - my report on what is wrong with the Trump course being created on the Menie Estate, and updates

http://suzannekelly.yolasite.com/