Well, men cant express their feelings and enthuisasm for fires. Thats a bit too girly. Not for us macho men. So of course the thread is a bit slow. We know we love fire, but we dont want to discuss it in a girly manner getting all silly about it.

Im off to stand on the edge of a dance floor in a club, not dancing (well, maybe a bit of manly head movements), but acting macho looking at the prey. Wait for the kill...... then strike.

Maybe pass on the radio one flirt divert number, so we can all have a good laugh at a druken song, esp as by that time of the day im pretty fed up (I think it may be the fact that radio one plays the same four songs over and over again!)

Well, I thought I would start making the forum more manly by opeing a discusion on fire. Esp as bonfire night is nearly upon us.

I dont think im going to get to build a bonfire this year which is a shame. Usually we (the men) build one using anything we can find that may burn. Then we light it and stand around proding it, drinking beer and throwing stuff that looks fun to burn. Back to our primitive roots. Then we play with fireworks and feel like a real pyrotechniqe.

The women ususally stand far back, or in the house cooking and stuff. For one night a year, everything is as it was meant to be.

There, I feel all manly now. No more heat magazine for me. Im off to find a cave to start living in!

Oh, im so offended. Last time I post on here!

Seriously though, this forum is getting a bit of a girly feel to it. Posts about boyfriends, dating etc. I feel like im reading Heat mag (or some other such thing), not that I ever read heat mag . I think we need some men things. Im going to go to lunch and think about some really macho posts we can have!

Hmm, still no reply from Hangseng. Im am interested in knowing if the others were right (seeing as you have been posting today, ill bump this up to try and get an answer).

DanB was more than a regular. He practically lived on the forum (if thats possible). It was like a newspaper and he was the writer/editor etc of everything. Why, he even had a agony aunt section for a short while. Basically he was posting on here every five mins, and most of it was old threads or crazy (though amusing) posts about mooncups etc.

Sadly he had a bit of a breakdown (I think he realised his Belford degree was not worth as much as he thought) and is currently in rehab getting the help he so sorley needs (well, not really, I think he just wants to start his PhD (though I think he is only one year in, so what is the rush? A bit to keen methinks!))

Your stipend is usually tax free (what you get paid for doing a phd from reaserch council). Any other work (eg bar or shop work) is taxed. However, if you are a full time student you will probably be unlikely to reach the first tax limit (£5000 ish), and can claim all of that tax back (including I beleive tax on interest on bank accounts). Additonally, your funding body probably limits the amount of extra work you can do, so again it seems unlikely that you would go over the min amount.

So in effect, for tax purposes, it is like you were never earning your stipend. It doesnt count towards your tax bill, so you get 5000 on top of that tax free.

If you are self funded, then I guess you would pay tax the same as every non student. Thats how i understand it anyway.

Like a guardian angel, watching over us all. Its a bit like its a wonderful life. When a bell rings, DanB will get his wings.

I think fear of failing keeps me in all day (well 9-5). However, i do seem to spend most of my time messing around having coffee etc. In fact, I probably do about 2 hours real work a day. Hmm, thats worrying. And im not a first year. Oh dear, maybe I should stay longer and faff more otherwise I might fail (this is spiralling out of control).

Yes, I was offered support. I got a letter from the special needs unit saying if I needed any help I could go and see them. Though I must admit I havent done that yet, but it is nice to have the offer. They also suggested applying for special needs bursary from the council (they give you money to buy laptops and stuff). Again, I never bothered doing it (I could have got it as an undergrad too, but I didnt bother). Hmm, im to lazy to get free money and stuff. I well. You must have some sort of special needs unit. Was there anywhere on the application forms to declare it. Thats usually where they pick you up.

I have not met any other dyslexics (I agree, what a word to try and make us spell. BOB would have been better, though what it stands for (brain of britain I think haha)), or at least I cant remember meeting any of them.

Its ok. You didnt really cause offense. I just dont like to be wrong . I worry people are trying to make me look stupid through my inability to spell. There have been some people on here who try to imply that if you cant spell or write grammer properly you are stupid and they are far superior to you (as if it is some measure of intellegence). More like snobbery. Im probably therefore just oversensitive.

I beleive that check is the American version of cheque. The free dictionary states as one meaning of check "A written order to a bank to pay the amount specified from funds on deposit; a draft.". Try typing it into a dictionary or something. Im not American, but as im dysleixc I tend to spell things as they sound (which is generally how the Americans spell). However, I do not beleive I was incorrect in the use of the word check in that context, no more than if I had writen color instead of colour (esp on a forum where you have no idea if im American or not).

I have mine. I would guess that it is the university finance division that is holding it up. Mine is a check from the uni, not the BBSRC. I think the BBSRC gives them the money and then they forward it to us. Maybe with all the new students coming in, and the start of the new year, they are bogged down and a little delayed.

I accept that it may have happened to you, though I am not completely convinced as you have still not provided any evidence. I generally try and give people the benifit of the doubt. Though the lack of explanation as to what happened is making me doubt you more and more. There is no truth at all. Narrowminded is stating something with no evidence and assuming you are correct.

As for the rest, ditto to Golfpro. Signing off.

I said that it would not surprise me that those sort of people exist. I have no personal evidence that academics act like that. None at all, and I have worked in labs in three different universities. I am therefore purely assuming from my knowledge of human nature. It would be foolish and naive of me to assume that because I have never experineced it must not be true (but that does not MAKE it true). However, in the same sense it is somewhat foolish and naive of you to assume most academics act that way from your limited knowledge of academia.

We are still waiting for some sort of evidence. For you to relate the tale of these horrific incidences so we may judge them. Then we may understand. At the moment you have made a wild accusation, you have provided nothing to back it up, and then you are getting annoyed that we dont just beleive and accept your point of view.