I haven't started yet, although I found out two days ago that a conference abstract is being done in September with my data, which is good.

At my last blood donation session, the malke nurse kept telling me how great a job it was as he got to chat to all these girls lying on their beds. He then started chatting one up to the extent that, when my bag thingy started bleeping, he missed it for almost five minutes, and then made me get up as soon as he'd taken the needle out, even though I ususally have a lie there for a couple of minutes. Result - a rather rapid meeting with the floor, followed by an hour of lying down.

Finland is stunning - a great country, with great people, and the food is better than Jacques Chirac would have you believe. Nice women too, although that's not really a PhD-deciding factor...

Apollo, while I hate Gillian McKeith, I disagree about Paul McKenna. For several years he has been the main man of the Preston North End midfield, and any title he wants to use is fine by me.

Ikea!

I don't currently do this, but in the past I've used ethanol and chloroform precipitation, although this is with quite different cells to yours. Might this work?

Which college are you at Jradetzky? I was at Jesus, and while I can't remember the exact figures, it was very good values indeed, especially when you consider the area.

Exactly. Even now they're beginning to charge for having an account. Service is poorer. You have to pay to use some cash machines. Bank fraud is on the up.

I noticed a big exodus of academics to other countries, particularly Australia, while I did my degree and subsequent research. I didn't really think about it then, but now I know exactly why.

Verdy,
The best place to look for nonsense jobs is the Guardian jobs section. Posts, generally publicly-funded, wages around 30-40k plus, involved in making sure people eat fruit and veg, know how to get dressed, and can make a shopping list properly.

The reason these jobs have sprung up (around 500,000-1 million of them depending on sources) is that this is using the public purse to reduce the umemployment figure, benefitting no one but the people who do (or don't do) these worthless jobs, and the governemtn ,who can put all kinds of spin on the figures.

This is much the same as the whole "50% to university" aim, which is nothing more than trying to reduce the number of jobless people between the ages of 18 and 25, as students don't count as unemployed.

I agree wholeheartedly sylvester. Not going to happen in our lifetimes though is it...

This is basically a governement with the worst excesses of capitalism mixed with the evils of socialism, so that anyone who wants to make something of themselves is stamped upon repeatedly until they either submit, or emigrate. Sadly, it'll be the latter for me

The situtation in this country will not reverse for at least 20 years, as even if the tories get in at the next election, 1. they decline of the labour party will take ages to halt, and 2. "Dave" Cameron is nothing but Blair MkII.

Sadly, the countries to benefit will be the US, Canada, Australia, those in Western Europe, China, and India, but they have clearly got their priorities right, so they deserve it.

Indeed Verdy. The problem is, paying rent is effectively throwing money away, while paying a mortgage is more like saving (give or take house price fluctuations and repairs etc). Still, this country is going down the pan in other ways, so why people are surprised about this I don't know.

Lofty, this article merely claims that employment rates are high for media studies graduates. It says nothing about the jobs that these graduates go into, and therefore does nothing to dispel my argument that media studies graduates do anything for which their degree, or even a reasonable level of intelligence, is necessary.

Gizmo...

Media studies - I disagree. While I'm sure some media studies graduates find their wayinto such areas, I would bet that the vast majority of people who get into this field, especially those who do well, have degrees in areas such as English, history, politics and such like.

As for non-universities. Well, while I'm sure some poor universities have certain groups or departments which excel, there are universities who are consistenly found by turning the league table upside down and looking near the top. Not going to name names.