Two more days down at LSE

Wednesday

Down early for the dissertation seminar. These are the last two presentations by individual students outlining their ideas as they stand today. And, perhaps oddly enough, both were terrible presentations today. You would think that having had more than half the teaching of the course, they would have had some idea of what they wanted to do - but apparently not. And they were even worse if you compare with actual dissertations from the past few years - they are in real trouble in my view. Next week we have a change of format with one-on-one meetings with Miklos in his office. I am on first next week, then have two Wednesdays off.

Across to Charing Cross Road at lunchtime to review and purchase Kelley's The Descent of Ideas. This does look a very interesting take on the history of ideas

Then to my hotel and a bit of time to prepare for my work-related meeting this afternoon. This seemed to go ok, but I did miss the best chances to ensure that I was seen as a really good candidate. Instead, I think he may have thought that I would have been unsuitable due to the amount of admin involved in this position - I should have downplayed my "exciting" past and emphasised the similarities of the proposed role with what I was doing a year or two ago.

Then across to Liverpool Street Station to meet Robert St John for a quick drink. We chatted about the current RBS situation, the general banking market and corporate bonds. I was interested in quizzing Robert about current bond markets as this might be an area where it would make sense for us to invest some savings. Remarkably, 10 year sterling for Imperial Tobacco would cost about 400b.p over gilts. Robert also had some interesting points about bank facilities generally. I am a little concerned that we might lose our bank facility and am planning to draw it down over the next month or two.

Thursday

Across to LSE for 8:00 and some reading of various books on the David Irving Holocaust-denial libel trial from a few years ago. I have become interested in the possible problems created by the holocaust for postmodernist history - is this a case study that shows the poverty of postmodernism?

Also reading some of Lindberg & Numbers' God and Nature - especially the Westman piece on Copernicanism and the Church, in preparation for this morning's seminar. This week's seminar with John Milton is even worse than last week - there is no chance of really asking any questions, it is just one long monologue. Not a seminar at all.

I had lunch and a long chat with Caroline at the Garrick at LSE. We are joined by Anne Marie later (who has definitely decided to go part-time). Lots of interesting points of view about the course, people's study, their dissertations, etc. As a rsult, I missed the Philosophy of Economics seminar - though I much preferred what I did do instead