I'm off to Sheffield, which is both where I did my degree, and where I have worked as a research technician for the past year. I'd prefer to be at home in Preston (a great city which never gets the credit it deserves), but UCLan is dire in all but a few subject areas.

Sorry Ed - I wasn't having a go at you. It just so happened that your post was the one before mine, that's all. Nothing to do with what you've said.

Isn't thre a bit too much offence being taken here by both sides? Whatever someone's opinion, in this case whether in favour of completely free and unrestricted movement of anyone between any countries, or in favour of closed borders, isn't that their own opinion? Challenging someone's opinion is fair enough if you use genuine debate, but as soon as people start getting offended and uppity, it just descends into pandemonium...

Precisely. I mean, I don't mind people being well off, but when they're so obscenely well off through nothing but making music, and then they have the gall to spout on about how not very well off people should give some of their cash to charity? Pot, kettle, and black methinks.

I'd pay money to be spared Geldof. I really cannot stand the man.

Maybe Paul McCartney should have said "Think of how much money a man can make through selling music. Then think of what that money could do for the Third World". There's hypocrisy for you.

I agree with the dog eating point - while it may be cute, it's still an animal, and eating a dog is no different to eating or using any other animal product.

But then we're not at all a logical species are we? There are so many things we do which are illogical - isn't this just one of the peculiarities of humans?

I know what you mean, but here's my take on it.

Firstly, injecting with toxins. We need to do toxicity testing to work out safe doses to give to humans for tests. Therefore, assuming you think that it's preferable for animals to die than humans to die, this is ok.

Eating animals. I agree with you on this. It's not totally necessary. But I think humans are omnivores, although it's perfectly possible to survive on a vegetarian, and even vegan, diet. So I agree, the logic is flawed with eating animals.

But surely it can't be debated that, out of testing (drugs, not spurious cosmetics), eating, and wearing animals or animal products, the wearing of them is by far the least necessary, and also the most easily replaced by non-animal methods.

Quite right - animal testing ok. But the wearing of fur is totally unnecessary. Besides, most people look like utter w*****s in fur.

Hey all,

I posted on here a few times earlier this year, when looking for a PhD. I found one, which I am due to start in 2 weeks. And I'm starting to panic big time - about the work, the difficulty, the techniques, the workload, the pressure and everything else I can find to worry about. To be honest, I was the same before my BSc, and that worked out fine, but I guess I'm just worried about panicking so much it affects my work, and am also worried about being thrown in at the deep end and panicking a lot more. Any words of advice (or derision, but less of the derision if poss)?
Thanks...

My PhD will be in the Dental School and in BMS. No more RHH for me...

That's right DanB. I think you should join in, big boy ;)

Oh, and it's quite apt that you mention grammar schools. I went to one, and while I'm against educational elitism based on money, I am completely in favour of it based on academic ability. One of my major reasons for leaving the tories was "Big Dave"'s dropping of the plan to increase numbers of grammar schools.

The loonies had a great idea at the last election - introduce 99p coins. How cool would that be? Unless shops started selling stuff for 98p, which would be crap

Not at all. Ok, that's what they've been branded as (most recently by Cameron, who is scared of haemorrhaging votes to them), but they're a multi-racial party, who don't discriminate on the ground of race in any way.

Of course, some of the views of UKIP can also be held by racists, but then some racists believe in God - doesn't mean all Christians are racist does it?