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I do want to see this, I enjoy the idea very much. But yes, what happened with Total Recall is an ICY GLASS OF WATER DOWN THE UNDERPANTS kind-of-cautionary tale of how things that are so wonderful can be shit up so perfectly.

Of all the "big" Marvel properties, Fantastic Four is my least favourite. I'd like to see if a new movie can pique my interest, but I will not hold my breast*. *You heard me.

O..Kay, wrong thread.

This is a technique that I hear from China the whole time -it's a psychological trick used to put people on the defensive. The person using it well-knows that intelligent people will automatically begin to question their own beliefs, which will cause them to backtrack and force them into a weaker position in the power dynamic of the debate/conversation. The most effective way of countering it is to ignore it. Or make it into a complete joke, thereby rendering it useless as a future rhetorical tool. Another way is to turn it around: Something like this: "If you think I'm capable of bullying Scotland, the country so masculine that they invented a skirt for men, then you hold Scottish people in low esteem" On the note of this debate: It's up to the people of the nation. Let them do as tbhey please but they should be responsible for taking their share of the debt, as there has been benefit from it. It would set a poor precedent otherwise.

Happy birthday!

I could happily help out with a few Chinese words if it was kept simple. Not the characters though, oh no.

Dude, can you just try breathing out and in without making a statement about something? I'm not watching this because I have virtually no interest in the Summer or Winter Olympics. I don't enjoy that kind of competition.

Happy Birthday!

BIRTHDAYBIRTHDAYBIRTHDAYBIRTHDAYBIRTHDAYBIRTHDAY!

Hah, well, you'd think so! It doesn't confer QTS, but it does have you spending a lot of time in the classroom - and subsequently compiling reports, lesson plans, evaluations, homework/classwork that you have set. You have a mentor that is supposed to watch a certain number of lessons, the people from the University will come and watch you at some point (or ask you to make a video). Anyway, it all comes together to form the qualification, which is accepted by schools all over the world. But if (God forbid) I wanted to come back to the UK and teach, I'd still have to spend another six months achieving QTS.

Harsh though it be, I agree with you. These kids have lost their father, but anyone who has three children and still does heroin.... is what kind of father? Again, feel for his family.

I have no idea. I'm a bit annoyed because when we married we agreed that Valentines Day was my responsibility, and Chinese Lover's Day was hers - but last year she abrogated her responsibilities and made like I was a horrible husband for asking. I wonder if I can get away with something similar? It seems unlikely.

I'm partially sighted, and the eye that works properly has about a 10-minute tolerance for reading pdf files on any kind of screen. And that is WITH my glasses. The Library only supplies books as pdf files that you can download, but not print, or read online and print one-page-at-a-very-slow-time. I have bought most of the books and printed out what pdf files I can. This is costing me 6K for a year, my MA cost me 1.5k per year and they supplied us with absolutely everything that they referred to in our assignments and weekly tasks. These guys don't even supply direct links to the National Curriculum sections that we are studying, just the main homepage of the website, and then you have to find the downloads yourself.

I really want to smack the lecturers at the University of Sunderland in the teeth. Hard. Repeatedly. With a metal bar. They are the most slapdash, unprofessional, arrogant and lazy teachers I have ever come across. They ask us to learn about different learning and teaching styles, but they only have one approach to teaching: "Piss off and read something." I'm studying my PGCE via distance with these people, and it's costing me 6000 quid. They don't supply any books, I cannot use the online library resources because of my eyesight and there has not been a single set article to read for the entirety of this recent module. They lecturers only post weblinks when they are asked. And even then, grudgingly. Assholes, absolute assholes. If I didn't need this qualification to progress in my career, I'd be demanding my money back right now.

Well, looks like it's bye-bye to Cabaye. Fair enough that the lad wants to go, he's been a good player for us. Shame we couldn't wait until the Summer though.

Congratulations @Animal, I hope it makes you happy! I confirmed with my Principal that they don't need me to work from next Monday (three days before the Lunar Holiday) so I get two weeks off! YAAAAY!

Oh, man, not cool. Not cool. Bad dog. I don't blame you. Deceit and poor communication, coupled with constant threats to the security of your position mean that you can't be happy. As that happened in your first job, it's going to have had a knock-on effect for the rest of your employment life. Well, at least until you get in a position that consistently shows that you are valued, that your position is safe and makes you feel like you are doing something worthwhile. I've had kind of the opposite problem with my job - recently I've had two offers in two good schools that would be very supportive and a great boost to my career. But the money was awful and the locations were almost as bad. One meant a four hour daily commute and a pay decrease, the other was offering 400 quid less than I earn now per month. Shame, as I really am keen to move on. Oh well.

I have to disagree with you - how you manage behaviour in the class is usually an individual thing, but managing it is something that can be learned. I recently read a book by Ramon Lewis -"Understanding Pupil Behaviour"- which made me reflect on how I was dealing with certain pupils, particularly attention seekers. I used to consistently ignore attention seekers full stop, but that was never the best way, as not giving them any attention whatsoever just led them into a kind of low-grade "background" misbehaviour which never really stopped. So I learned that I had to over praise when they did something good -at least initially- and then slowly turn it down to average when their behaviour even itself out. But I have to agree that the TA is in the wrong there - saying "He/She wouldn't do it when the other teacher is here!" is really an affront to your confidence. Like I said, everyone has their own style, and comparing you to someone else is unhelpful.

Tell you the truth... I never really liked Only Fools and Horses, but I always found Trigger hilarious. I will remember this guy mostly as Owen in the Vicar of Dibley.

Was really surprised - didn't even know he was ill. RIP.

Happy Birthday, Dr FLinkenstein.

Thanks all, much appreciated! My football team won our last game of the season, which was the best gift that I could have asked for!

I found this to be actually quite annoying. I wanted rid of those residents as they were irritating, and now suddenly they've turned up again? GO AWAY, SOLEIL! But as you said, it would be nice if the place got crowded with people. Just wish it wasn't THOSE people.

Is that what you meant? Any-trouser-way, I echo everyone's sentiments here: If I felt involved emotionally with someone then they dumped me, and were next seen going out with a close friend to the theatre, I'd have a hard time treating that as nothing.

I hate being off sick - my parents used to give me a really hard time if I needed a day of from schoo, like I was somehow wastng everyone's time- and I carried that mentality into my work life. It doesn't help that the school principal has a mean streak as long as the Yellow River. She herself "never" gets ill and always comes to work even though it's obvious she's near death's door and needs a day off. She encourages this mentality in everyone else. ...anyway, the fact is my insomnia has been acting up these last few days. Tuesday night I can't have gotten to sleep mch before 4am, and woke up at 6am, went straight to work. That night I got a good rest, but it was just a recovery from the previous day's nightmare rather than a night's rest + the feeling of having recovered... a similar thing happened last night where my mind was racing and I just couldn't drop off. I blame the Star Wars books I'm reading. They're too exciting. Oh, and I can't find Midori anywhere on the internet in China, so I'm back to drinking whisky.