Should I go for the in-plan, cheap co-pay therapist or pony up more cash for the therapist who seems a better fit for my family? Would it be bad to switch therapists shortly into the process? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 8:05 AM - 11 answers

Is there a word for the strategy of real estate companies who buy up properties in one area and keep the buildings empty in order to force out local businesses? [more inside]
posted by creeky at 7:19 AM - 4 answers

Where the expression "barefoot, pregnant, and slaving over a hot stove" came from? What is the history of it in English speaking countries?
posted by ivanka at 8:14 AM - 8 answers

I'm helping a friend dispose of a relative's estate. She left a lot of stuff to move out of the house. We're not sure how best to do this. [more inside]
posted by Pronoiac at 12:50 AM - 8 answers

Which Chicago neighborhood should I live in? [more inside]
posted by prunes at 6:38 PM - 26 answers

I heard once that many people living in poverty tend to make more luxurious purchases, such as televisions, as they see simple luxuries as way to enjoy their life in a way they deem possible. Is this true? Can anyone point to a source? [more inside]
posted by UMDirector at 10:20 AM - 31 answers

My baby shower was two months ago and I still haven't sent the thank you cards. My baby is now a month old. Can I send out the thank you cards and the birth announcements together, or is that horribly tacky? [more inside]
posted by logic vs love at 1:34 PM - 23 answers

Why do male porn actors so often wear socks and shoes while otherwise naked in adult movies? It's true that high heels are prevalent among the females but at least one could argue there's some aesthetic point to that. The guys' choice of footwear, meanwhile, is nearly always awful. Is there a practical or cultural reason for the men wearing socks, shoes and sometimes hats and sunglasses?
posted by skylar at 8:27 AM - 28 answers

ETIQUETTE FILTER: Why is it taboo for an expectant mother to publicize her own baby shower? [more inside]
posted by mynameismandab at 8:23 PM - 31 answers

Has anyone heard of a mural painting called "The Wedding of Princess Ka'iulani" commissioned on his return home by a Japanese businessman who visited Hawaii and was moved by her short life? [more inside]
posted by LadyOscar at 5:11 PM - 0 answers

I've recently been living in Paraguay and have picked up the habit of drinking tereré and other various customs. I was wondering if anyone knows if there is a Paraguayan (or eastern Argentinian) community in the Atlanta, GA area. It would be wonderful to keep up my South American Spanish and also continue to learn about the cultures.
posted by BasileusPY at 12:54 PM - 0 answers

I need suggestions of places where people tend to behave erratically. [more inside]
posted by Eleutherios at 10:46 AM - 54 answers

Where can I find late-night wifi in the Twin Cities? [more inside]
posted by beautifulstuff at 11:13 AM - 9 answers

What songs capture a snapshot in time or define an era? Not necessarily the most popular song of the day, but one that is a true marker of a specific time. [more inside]
posted by smelvis at 7:38 AM - 40 answers

It's time to settle down. Please help me. [more inside]
posted by st starseed at 5:45 PM - 11 answers

In a critique of Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) Slavoj Žižek asserts that "in all known cases of a married couple where a spouse betrayed a partner, it was always a man who became an informant." Famously, Ulrich Mühe, star of Das Leben der Anderen, asserted that his ex-wife spied on him for Stasi, though both the ex-wife and her supposed Stasi superior denied this. Other than that case, are there any examples of East German wifes informing on their husbands for Stasi?
posted by Kattullus at 7:50 AM - 3 answers

SantaFilter: I'm trying to make a list of the worst of the worst kids from film and TV, etc., that would end up on Santa's naughty list, year after year. Any suggestions come to mind? [more inside]
posted by Unsomnambulist at 3:09 PM - 48 answers

I'm working on a video project about the backlash to Obama mentioning the price of arugula at Whole Foods. Can you think of any other examples, real of fictional, of food being framed as elitist or snobby? [more inside]
posted by loping at 1:25 PM - 35 answers

What suggestions do you have to help me be more sensuous? [more inside]
posted by Pineapplicious at 8:28 AM - 15 answers

Which is the best European country to move to, for a software engineer? [more inside]
posted by raghuram at 4:33 PM - 6 answers