Is there a bar in the site hut? Or can this be it?

[RedEarth]

Most sad.. Sometimes it sits well to kick back as well as be serious. Many new posters are coming, and are able to both have a laugh (there's little of that around in the real world of archaeology just now) and discuss serious topics.. such as the university thread, the stonehenge thread dealing with heritage management in general, the interest in training and the new benchmarking on salary levels ... even talked to someone yesterday who is going to join and post on a worry about the devaluation of archaeology with charge out rates plummeting... or worse, ... people setting themselves up as sole traders (some with some without the required insurance) and charging out at 100 a day... which makes our profession look like a cowboy trade, After years of not wanting to join, they will because they feel comfortable now... the human side is revealed, rather than the bite yer head off, po facedness,

Is BAJR a crusading organisation... well I guess it still is... is it open and friendly... I certainly hope so.

Sorry you feel that way. so will raise a virtual glass to you... and pass round the peanuts

Sorry to be a misery guts but I'm a little with Oz on this one. This thread has started to sound like a load of jolly backslapping about the good old days in the bar of a ship that is merrily sinking. What happened! The Bajr forum has seriously lost its way, I was partly put off by the whole community archaeology discussion, which became an attack on anyone who didn't think it was the best thing since sliced bread (it's great, but it ain't going to keep several thousand archaeologists employed). Now I see mention of someone wanting to bring up 'charge out rates plummeting... or worse, ... people setting themselves up as sole traders (some with some without the required insurance) and charging out at 100 a day'. I mentioned this before and had my head bitten off by numerous sole traders, Bajr included, for daring to suggest that some of them might be anything other than honest salt of the earth types, rather than the real reason it is so difficult to make a living. Are we just expected to work for the fun of it? That seems to be the current consensus on here - no wonder so many people get out of it as soon as they can.

Anyhoo, pointless talking shop? Forget it.