Just a couple of suggestions. If you add the chilli flakes before the onion you can impart more of the spicyness to the oil, which gives you the quick obvious heat (rather than the slow-build, back of the tongue heat.) You can then add slow-build heat with some Cayenne pepper.

For the chicken soup I always like to add a potato to give it a thicker texture. Not sure about using carrots mind.


Bug: How about making a curry base? If you dropped the mint from your current recipe and added onion, cumin, coriander, garam masala and tomatoes you could make yourself a decent curry base to use.

I really disagree with the advice being offered here. The degree classification equivalent will depend on the alphabetic grading scheme in operation at the particular university. A B- is certainly not distinction standard, I'm not even sure that a B+ is (depends on your subject too.) Give us a bit more info, although its doubtful that anyone can properly convert them.

Okay, the first issue can be dealt with by changing the style that you use. This can either be done through finding a new style or by editing a current style to fit your needs. If you are required to cite in a certain way then it is possible that your department has an endnote style file that you can use - ask around your other PhDers. If this is not the case and you need to edit the style then you have to go to Edit>Output Styles> Edit "Currently Selected Style". You'll need to alter the Citations template and the bibliography template. This website may help http://www.hsl.unc.edu/Services/Tutorials/ENDNOTE/Beyond_Basics.htm . Out of interest, what is wrong with the way the bibliography is set up (there may be a slightly easier solution)?

The second issue, I would guess as I don't use it myself, could be dealt with through setting up an Endnote Web account and using that as your main place to store references. What I do is utilise my university's remote desktop so that I can use my files and the programs that are on my Uni harddrive.

Sorry if that's a bit technical, but its relatively easy to use after the first time.

This is just a guess at advice and is contigent on you working for a Uni, but it may be worth contacting your new Uni accomodation office and see if they would be amenable to you temporarily staying at some Uni accomodation. I say this because I've seen some poor visiting Researcher being housed in a first-year accomodation block that is soon to be mothballed.

Not sure if it'll happen, but it's worth a shot.

Hey guys, I'm a-hoping you can help me. I'm writing a chapter at the moment and I've just finished a section that had four main points in. In this section, after saying that there were four main points, I did the whole "first, second, third" thing. However, in the following section I realised that I need to use a similar structure to cover five points on another subject. So, I was wondering, does anyone have any alternate ways of structuring a number of points on a single subject?

It seems to be a major feature of my writing, so I'm really hoping people have some tricks. Cheers :-)

This has made my day slightly worse.

There's children on the street using guns and knives; taking drugs and each other's lives.
Killing each other with knives and forks, and calling each other names like "dork"...


First thought into my head.

Is it wrong to produce a fact sheet on the Browne review and ask my students about their thoughts on the matter? It doesn't bear much relationship to the course content, but it's surely important for students to know/think about(and what's the point of teachers if they don't talk about important things?)

Sneaks, how much do you think most public servants get paid?

I'm assuming, then, that academic salaries are going to rise significantly as Universities move into the private sector. Just think what rewards await future academics as their 7 years of University education and teaching qualifications...

Wait, what do you mean that wasn't in the review? So Universities are meant to entirely change their ethos from being public providers to private providers, but academics are still meant to act like (and be paid like) public servants?

Right, anyhow, the bankers may threaten to go abroad if there are any changes to the banking system, but if these changes do go through I'm off. My family don't do the private sector (apart from my brother, but he's always been the black sheep.)

Woo! I won the lottery!

Okay, I got £17.20 and have probably spent far more on the lottery than that, but it's nice to win something nonetheless.

Maybe I'll buy a jumper with it...

I think I would move out from where I'm living, put my PhD on hold and take a three-month holiday that involves visiting all the friends who have said I should come and see them. Then I'll come back and get on with PhD life as normal...and maybe buy a new jumper.

I think the ConDems may have just pushed (or threatened to push) me a bit too far. Okay, fine, they want to shit all over non-STEM subjects - I disagree, but I can take that. Okay, they want to start more private universities - I can take that. They want to move towards two-year degrees - again, I can take that.

But moving tuition fees to £10,000 - nope, not having it. Even £7,000 is too much. I may not be an undergrad or have to pay tuition fees, but this move could fundamentally alter the entire university set-up! I fundamentally doubt the ability of bursaries to increase access for the poorest students, but, even if they do work, what about the poor to middle students? My family ain't bad off, but I know that £21,000-£30,000 of tuition fee debt (not even thinking of living costs) would have put me off from Uni. All we'll end up with is more private school toffs dominating the elite universities.

I'm off to get my protest hat (last worn prior to the invasion of Iraq), anyone joining me?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/oct/02/universities-tuition-fees-students-browne

Thanks Star-Shaped for the advice. I'm just worried that following your suggestion will encourage them not to do the required reading because they'll expect to be getting enough info in class to survive through that seminar.

My module leader suggested getting the students to design presentations for the rest of the group and suggested having a roundup of newspaper coverage, but I dunno; they'll eat up time but seem to encourage laziness. I'm really looking for an idea that will, if not force them to talk in a open group-wide discussion, force them to do the readings and understand the concepts.

I'm 24, in the second year of my PhD and live in Uni accomodation (as a subwarden) with a load of Freshers about 3.5 miles away from Uni. Rent (bills and food included) is very very cheap but it does seem to be an impediment to work and to really getting stuck in. My current housemates are two freshers and two third-year exchange students. I also have no savings, am on a fees-only scholarship and don't have a long-term partner...the first rung of the property ladder is not even on the horizon.

However, one ray of hope, I do play the lottery ;-)

You are no longer welcome in the "Current PhD Students" forum. Your rank exceeds that of the forum. Go on to the "PhD Hall of Fame" and bugger off into the real world and...like...adulthood...8-)