pap

I quite like the article, especially the story about getting an ice hockey stick through the face. If control of Southampton FC ever came down to a bare knuckle boxing contest between NC and RK, my money would be on Ralph. I wouldn't rule out a bit of "where's your tool"-ery from NC though. Somewhat more seriously, I'd be very impressed if he manages to fill the commercial vacuum he reckons exists.

I enjoyed it too mush, and have many a conversation like that in our house. I reckon ms pap has only ever provided about 2 years of original conversation content over a 20 year period.

Classy, boys. You must let me know the names of your respective finishing schools.

My motor has a 6 CD changer in it. All the rage in the early 2000s, apparently. Three out of the six CDs are Bon Scott-era AC/DC. Would have loved to have seen them back then. Unfortunately, I was a bit too young. Anyone ever see this line-up?

I kept this gender neutral for a purpose. My overall take is that anyone viewed up close is subjectively mental. We're just crazy in different ways. ms pap is a pain in the metaphorical arse sometimes, but I know she says the same of me. I think it's the "mental you can handle" that defines successful relationships.

I have two man caves now. This is a potentially worrying omen.

Some very interesting and insightful replies; thanks a lot, all. For me, it's a case of the circumstances potentially being right to do it. As others have pointed out, the money hasn't always been there for post-graduate study. Most of us have ongoing family commitments, with all the budget that implies. Who can really take a year off? I'm now 39; think it's a relatively good age to go in. Even considering those shaky first three years, I'll still be able to put 20 years into the profession. A couple of my lecturers have done well out of writing books for specific subjects; as someone with knowledge of the curriculum, that could be an option in the future. Most of the people I encountered in earlier education weren't really professional practitioners, so this will be an interesting experiment from the government. I did some work experience at St Marks back in the early 1990s teaching kids to use stuff on Archimedes computers. Really was a great experience; most of them went away knowing something they didn't know before. I also did a talk at a posh-ish school in Liverpool on a careers day. Again, the bloke who showed me around wasn't really a practitioner - and viewed me as some kind of Gandalf from a mythical technical realm of wizards. Apparently the government are going big on programming with their computer science curriculum. Good move, according to some of my sources; they do not rate the latest grads at all, which probably accounts for the amount of resources being allocated. For me, programming has always been the fine art of solving puzzles for money. I think a big part of the skills shortage might be down to the point n click generation not quite realising what the pieces are. I don't hate my job. I can approach this application with a fair degree of ambivalence, which I think is actually the right position to be in. This isn't really a grass is greener situation; I'm not looking to escape. However, a set of favourable circumstances have emerged which are making me consider whether long-term plans should become short-term ones. I'm going to a School Experience Placement shortly, which should give me a better impression of what school life is like these days. Ultimately, it may be something I defer until next year; this year may be too soon - Juvenile Unit #1's finance papers are going in for Uni shortly and depending on the respective bodies' ability to revise based on new circumstances, this may be something that ends up slipping. That may not be an entirely bad thing; the money is there for a few years and it might afford me the time to do a few more SEPs to form a more rounded assessment of the situation.

Don't think Southampton should entertain it, if Love Productions decide to use the same (ahem) editing tricks as they did in Brum. My middle bro lives there and I visit quite a bit. I love the area. Proper mix of nationalities, religions and even sub-cultures. The Hells Angels are based down that way; they put a firework show on every year. Judging from Benefits Street, this show will make Derby Road look like complete sh!t and stir up the racists.

Ohio; Highest level of education is a degree in Software Engineering, and I qualify for all sorts on account of my grade. bletch; Will probably teach Computer Science, particularly with the new onus on programming.

The kids get next to fk all in terms of Uni support atm, largely down to my wage. Shifting to a teacher's salary would enable them to get more from the Government and apply for certain scholarships they're presently barred from. Same sort of thing with benefits, really. There's that, plus the fact that I could probably still retain a fraction of my client work. It's also worth pointing out that my wage is contingent on me working 50 weeks a year.

Yeah, weirdly enough - I'm not looking at a 50K pay cut because it makes sense on a financial level.

History, you mean? Not teaching that. Still don't know if I can handle the wage adjustment, if I'm honest.

It is. I was born on Easter Sunday.

Was thinking of secondary school education, really. I've worked 80 hour weeks in my time; don't happen very often - but it has been known to. Most of the time, I do around 50 hours all told but invoice for slightly less than that. Three years of being crap at your job sounds about right; had exactly the same experience in this game.

I've been looking at the Government's get into teaching scheme. As someone who has frequently talked about becoming a teacher in later life, this seems to be an ideal set of circumstances to make the move. You can get a 25K tax-free scholarship, or failing that, a 20K bursary if you fail on the scholarship. I'm getting to the point in my current career where most stuff is easy, and I'm far too honest to ever be a pole-climber. The idea of being able to teach kids and better their life chances seems hugely edifying in comparison. With two kids going off to Uni in the next couple of years, I'm just worried about the money. Everything will be fine if I can keep the business going for say, 16 hours a week. Is this expectation remotely feasible, or will training take up all of my time? Other advice would also be welcomed. DISCLAIMER: Don't worry SaintsWeb - I'm not teaching history

Have you ever considered the possibility that she could be talking out of her arse?

Sequel to Benefits Street coming to Southampton? Shít just got interesting! http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/11148701.Benefits_Street_sequel_in_Southampton_/

Arf, Lord D and Whitey G. I like ms pap's subtle use of "would you like to", employed when she wants to make some onerous job more attractive. "Would you like to clean the kitchen?" Err, no. Just tell me to clean the f**king kitchen. I don't want to do it, but I can do it a lot faster if I'm not deciphering coded messages

It's another wedding in Game of Thrones, this time with a much happier conclusion. Just sat and watched the first two episodes of this season with ms pap. It's good to have some Thrones back. I don't want to get too spoilery now that Whitey G is heading into Game of Thrones territory, but very much enjoyed them. Nice to have such a quality show take up the reins of Walking Dead. The acting remains superb. Charles Dance is owning most of the scenes he's in, as is Diana Rigg. I still remain amazed that one half of Robson & Jerome could ever attain the cool tag, yet it has happened. I don't think that anyone can really moan that nothing happens in the first couple of episodes. Some big moments which have large repercussions down the line.

Oddly enough Lord D, did a spot of research into this myself. Hague was heading up the North Wales child abuse inquiry and allegedly stifled claims that led away from North Wales. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9663457/William-Hague-stifled-1996-paedophile-report-says-victim.html http://21stcenturywire.com/2012/10/29/what-did-hague-know-former-minister-says-thatcher-aide-was-paedophile-who-preyed-on-boys-home/

Must have missed that one. Fancy giving a precís?

Leverage is more important and a lot cleaner than a criminal conviction. One person who comes out of this episode with no credit is Esther Rantzen. The founder of Childline, a national child protection charity, appears on TV after Savile's death and bashfully admits that everyone, including her, knew what was going on at the time. Incredible. Why didn't Rantzen grass Savile up? Some would suggest self-interest, others have gone as far as suggesting that Childline was a front organisation with a side-aim of protecting high-profile paedos. Personally, I think she knows it wasn't just Savile, and that going after him would make no long-term difference. People in positions of influence have been building these sort of networks for years, and using them to gain the whip hand when keeping people in line. Ted Heath is credited with introducing a dirt book. I'm sure I've linked this before, but this is a good read. http://spotlightonabuse.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/the-dirt-book-how-the-sexual-abuse-of-children-is-used-for-political-gain/ In short Gemmel, some of the people running the country don't really think like the rest of us, and haven't done for a while.

No carpet in my house whatsoever. It's a combination of tiling and wood flooring. Brilliant for pets and anyone that suffers from asthma. Ms pap has barely used her inhalers since we've moved. Also very easy to clean and maintain. Only downside on hard floors is if you drop something, it's normally f**ked. Oak would look smart, I reckon.

(GK) Iain Dowie (LB) Iain Dowie (CB) Iain Dowie (CB) Iain Dowie (RB) Iain Dowie (DM) Iain Dowie (CM) Iain Dowie (CM) Iain Dowie (LW) Iain Dowie (ST) Iain Dowie (RW) Iain Dowie If that doesn't frighten an opposition, I don't know what will.

I've just watched a movie called "The Conspiracy" on Netflix. It's a thriller about two film-makers who are doing a study on a conspiracy theorist, that get deeper than they'd like when the subject of their film goes missing. Didn't really know what to expect - the subject matter is rarely treated seriously, but this is a smart film that has got an intentionally menacing tone. It's an amateur camera flick interspersed with speeches and events from history, and while I place no stock in the grand conspiracy theory the film posits, it's a bloody good yarn which should leave the brain cells buzzing after the credits roll. Well worth a watch.